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IBPS PO Mains Previous Year Descriptive Essay & Letter Writing Topics

By Asad Yar Khan

IBPS PO Mains 2022 Descriptive Paper Preparation:  The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection will be conducting the IBPS PO Mains 2022 the day after tomorrow, 26th November 2022 to employ a maximum of 8432 candidates of Probationary Officers (PO)/ Management Trainee (MT) across 11 Participating Banks in India. Therefore, only those candidates who will clear the Mains exam will be shortlisted for the IBPS PO Interview 2022. So, do you want to grab full marks in IBPS PO Mains 2022 Essay writing in Descriptive Paper by refining your style? And some of you might also be wondering about important topics asked in the mains exam? If so, there are important steps to improve your essay writing skills quickly.

This article will help you learn ways to improve your grammar and learn how to structure a well-organized essay for the upcoming IBPS PO mains exam 2022.

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IBPS PO 2022 Calendar

Ibps po mains exam pattern 2022.

IBPS PO 2022 Descriptive Test: Note

First, let us discuss the Pattern of IBPS PO Mains Descriptive Test

• The Descriptive Test of English Language in the IBPS PO Mains 2022 will test your skills with 2 sections: Letter Writing and Essay Writing.
• The Descriptive Test will be conducted immediately after the Objective Test. There will be a total of  2 questions for a total of 25 marks.  There will be a  sectional timing of 30 minutes .
• There will be no facility for spell check. An automated scoring mechanism will be in place to evaluate the Descriptive Test.

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How to write a scoring Essay for IBPS PO Mains Exam?

An essay is a short piece of writing on any given topic, which can be divided into three parts:

Introduction

A good Essay should always be error-free and properly structured with a flow of ideas.

There are certain simple rules that can help you in writing an essay as quickly and efficiently as possible, without killing the quality. You need to brainstorm ideas around the given topic and collect them as you generate them. Make an outline and include a brief summary of about one to two sentences of what you are going to discuss in each section of the essay.

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Perfect essay writing format for ibps po mains 2022 exam.

Here’s a sample that will help you write a good Essay for the upcoming exam:

Topic: Essay on Women’s Empowerment (Word Limite: 250 Words)

(introduction of the topic).

Since the first humans arose on Earth, women have been experiencing deprivation of their rights. They lead a hermitic life at home, deprived of the basic rights also, including the right to Vote. Today, we’re addressing the term “Women Empowerment” to talk about supporting, inspiring, and honor women in all areas of life. It also refers to give their due rights and protect them from all kinds of violence. Women empowerment is a way to make a better and stronger society for women.

(Body part of the Essay)

Women account for half of world’s population. Their prosperity and growth are essential for a happy society. Their growth and the economic and social growth of a society, country or the world as a whole are directly proportional. So, when one increases, the other increases and when one goes down the other things also are down. Almost all the bad economies of the World have weak women. Empowered women are not only responsible for a developed family but also a developed Country.

In India all women work but only a few get a monthly salary. As per United Nations-mandated Sustainable Development Goal-5 fact sheets, ‘only 25.4% of women aged 15-49 years who worked in the last 12 months were paid in cash.’ India is looking forward to achieving NFHS Goal-5, which focuses empowering Indian women by 2030.  This also highlights the scenario of women’s rights in the country.

(This is how you can cite a study or Data)

In many places, if not everywhere, women are treated as inferior and are thought to be housewives. And only boys are meant to study and earn a livelihood. This mentality promotes the idea to not send girls to school. These people think the girls are not safe in schools and offices, citing crimes against women. But the women who are making news in all the fields are changing the scenario every day.

(Conclusion of the Essay)

Empowering women means, we should promote an equal society eliminate child marriage, dowry system, gender bias and other divisions in India. We can only make a fair and equal society by giving women more power through education. Plus, the government policies and other organizations should work in sync to achieve this righteous and valuable aim.

Note: Usually the Essay part is allots a word limit of 150 Words, but you should be ready to pen a 200 to 250 words.

Important Essay Writing Topics for IBPS PO 2022 Practice

In every Bank job, you will be required to continuously communicate with customers and analyze the information for the swift running of the Bank. The descriptive writing section tests a candidate with the writing skills needed for this very purpose. Essay Writing tests your writing ability and your skills to organize your thoughts and ideas. Therefore, good results demand good writing skills. The descriptive section is also crucial from the overall exam perspective, as it affects your overall exam score.

Here are some important essay writing topics to help you prepare well for the descriptive part of the IBPS PO Mains exam:

• Discuss the role of banks in promoting financial literacy.
• Impact of techno-stress productivity of students & teachers
• Importance of mental health
• Pros & Cons of renewable energy. How green grid initiative launched during Glasgow’s COP-26 can overcome the cons.
• Role of women entrepreneurs in the Indian economy.
• Peace can be established by understanding and not by force. Elaborate.
• Factors Influencing Medical Tourism in India
• Rishi Sunak became the British PM. Will it benefit India in any way?
• 5G Technology: What Are Its Advantages and Disadvantages
• Aatm Nirbhar Bharat: How can it bring about change in India.
• Essay on Har Ghar Tiranga
• Is e-learning future of the Indian education system?
• Agnipath Scheme
• Cryptocurrency
• Technological advancement during COVID-19
• Start-up ecosystem in India
• Effects of fake news on social media
• India’s border disputes
• Delhi Air Pollution
• India pulling out of RCEP
• Cybersecurity and Banking in India
• 5G Technology in India

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Previous Year Descriptive Essay Topics for IBPS PO Mains 2022 Exam

• Pros and cons of ‘one rank one pension scheme.
• Women Empowerment.
• Ethical Banking
• FDI in retails sector
• Influence of social media
• Contribution of Unorganized Sector in Indian Economy
• Pros and Cons of 4 days working in a week
• Ethical problems of e-commerce.
• Is the election commission right in banning election symbols during the casting of votes?
• Roll of uneducated people in Indian Economy.
• Benefits of Mutual fund investments.
• Role of newspapers in influencing society or youth.
• Transformation caused in the workplace by information technology in the past two decades
• The relevance of Swadeshi on Globalization.
• Over-dependence on monsoon.
• Is generation gap a myth?
• Enslavement of man by technology.
• Those who saved More Taxed More. Justify
• The Viability of Presidential Form of Govt in India.
• How can education in the economy be indulged in college study?
• What’s the future of Banking Industry?
• How is the economy related to the common man?
• The contribution of unskilled labour in the Indian economy.
• The decreasing number of research taken up by students
• Suggestions to alleviate the unemployment problem.
• How far can a press have a license to infringe on others’ privacy?
• Role of effective credit rating.
• Advantages of classroom education over distance learning
• There is no permanent friend or enemy in politics give examples from Indian politics.
• Two types of function of government are necessary and optional.
• If I were a minister of the Banking Industry.
• Economic importance of tourism.
• Will India ever be a developed country?
• Banking Risk and Management.

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Letter writing for ibps po mains 2022 descriptive test.

Letters are classified into two types:

• Formal letter
• Informal letter

IBPS PO Mains 2022 Descriptive Test: Important Letter Writing Topics

Given below are some of the topics that either appeared in the Previous Years’ Exams or are expected to test your writing skills in the upcoming exam:

• Write a letter to the Editor of an environmental magazine regarding rising air pollution.
• Write a letter to the Bank Manager in regard to your query for Education Loan.
• Write a letter to the Bank Manager in regard to rejection of your loan application.
• Write a letter to the Superintendent of Police in regard to rise in theft in your locality.
• Write a letter to the Bank Manager to report the loss of your ATM card.
• Write a letter to the Bank Manager to report delay in issuance of your bank passbook.
• Write a letter to Insurance Company in regard to your claim of damage to your car.
• Write a letter to the Editor of a magazine about the issue of stray animals.
• Write a letter to the principal of your school to invite him to the launch party of your start-up.
• Write a letter to the Bank Manager to request closure of your account in their branch.

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Previous Year Letter Writing Topics

• Write a letter to your zonal officer to sanction loan to your branch customer.
• Write a letter to the branch manager to claim amount as a nominee to you father account.
• Write a letter to E-commerce site portal to deliver products in your localities.
• Write a letter to your insurance officer to claim your amount since your lockin period over.
• Write a letter to your district collector to establish many coaching or training institute for rural people to prepare for competitive exams.
• Write a letter to foreign embassy to rescue Indians since emergency situation occurred there.
• Write a letter to the head of water body to remind them on increasing pollution of river water and decreasing trend of ground water level.
• Write a letter to human rights commission to make peace in your locality against of communal atrocities
• Write a letter to your branch manager for requesting to open Current account since u are doing business.
• Write a letter to the editor to make awareness on government yojana plans.

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How can you clear IBPS PO Mains 2022 Exam in First Attempt?

You can achieve nothing in this world without hard work, practice and dedication. And that is what is needed in IBPS PO Mains English preparation. To come out with good essays every time you need to take care of your daily reading as well as writing habits. Read newspapers daily without fail. Newspapers will supply you with general knowledge, grammar and vocabulary power, and more. Pay heed to grammatical errors. After writing every summary or essay, you should proofread it for errors in grammar, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.

You can find countless and diverse resources that are conducive to improving your writing skills including the grammar part, both online and offline. Do a quick google search to jump to a plenitude of platforms that offer lessons and tips on grammar and writing with games and exercises. Practice all that you have learned and test your skills via the best  IBPS PO Mians 2022 Mock Tests  to get successful in the upcoming exam this time!

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Home » Descriptive Writing For Bank PO

IBPS PO Descriptive Paper 2023 PDF Download: Essay And Letter Writing Tips

IBPS PO Descriptive Paper 2023 PDF Download: The State Bank of India conducts the   IBPS PO  2023 recruitment. Candidates have to practice well to score maximum in the IBPS PO descriptive paper 2023. The IBPS PO Descriptive Paper 2023 consists of Essay writing and Letter writing. Combining both letter writing and essay, the total IBPS PO descriptive paper marks are 50. This article contains tips for Essay writing for IBPS PO Mains 2023 and Letter Writing for IBPS PO Mains 2023. Here we have discussed the Important topics for essay writing and Letter writing. In an IBPS PO Descriptive paper 2023, Letter writing and Essay writing would be conducted after the objective test of IBPS PO mains. Let’s get into this article and find more details of essay writing for bank PO exams and letter writing for bank PO exams, especially for the IBPS PO exam here.

IBPS PO Previous Year Question Paper

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What is Descriptive Writing?

Know what is essay writing for IBPS PO posts and Scale 1 officers and how to write a descriptive essay is provided here.

• Descriptive essay writing defines the topic through which objectives, literacy skills, Presentation skills, and knowledge of a writer are identified.
• It provides a clear picture and concise information on the topics chosen to describe.
• It enhances the vocabulary skills of the writer and also makes the writer gain the skills to deliver the content to the readers.
• Writers define the topics by Capturing events and paying attention to the issues.

What I should do first?

Writing an essay writing needs a perfect introduction to the topic and should gain the reader’s interest to know about the topics. Check how to start your descriptive writing.

• Candidates must visualize the chosen topic in mind and prepare a road map that how to present the information effectively to the readers before writing.
• Aspirants need to realize whether a topic is argumentative or critical so that the information regarding the topic can be presented precisely.
• The aspirant should realize the purpose of choosing a particular topic and should exhibit a clear vision while delivering content.

How to start my essay?

Here we have equipped some of the tips to start the essay writing provided here.

• When stating any topic, defining the introduction on the title is more important which attracts the reader to read your content.
• The introduction represents what is given in the latter part of the essay.
• The introduction must contain key ideas and mandatory information.

What topic do I have to choose?

• Aspirants must need to choose a topic on which sufficient points could be collected at the stipulated time.
• The aspirant must have known current events and objectives of the topic that they choose to describe.
• Aspirants choose the topic on which impressive ideas and thoughts can be delivered.

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IBPS PO Descriptive Paper Patter n 2023

The following table contains the type, the number of questions, total marks, and time duration asked in the IBPS PO Descriptive Paper. Check out the IBPS PO Descriptive paper pattern added below and make your preparation accordingly.

IBPS PO Mains Mock Test Series 2023

Ibps po descriptive paper 2023 pdf download.

The IBPS PO descriptive paper 2023 pdf download link is added below. Candidates preparing for the upcoming IBPS PO mains examination can download the IBPS PO descriptive paper 2023 and make an effective preparation. It is a one-stop solution for entire essay writing and letter writing for the IBPS PO mains exam 2023.

IBPS PO Syllabus & Exam Pattern

Letter Writing for IBPS PO And Other Bank PO Mains 2023 Exams – What is a Letter?

Check here what is letter writing for IBPS PO mains 2023, and other bank PO exams. The letter defines the way of stating information, conveying messages, wishes, and gratitude, addressing grievances, and tweeting progress to the receiver. It is a communication medium between a sender and receiver and a formal way of expressing thoughts. A letter aids the person to deliver everything in a systematic way and also it is a fundamental step to originate the process.

Based on the information stated it has been classified into two types.

• Formal letter
• Informal letter

IBPS PO Descriptive Paper 2023 Topics for Letter Writing

The important letter-writing topics for IBPS PO that the aspirants can practice for the upcoming bank exams are discussed below.

Formal Letter Writing Trending Topics For IBPS PO Mains

Here are the formal letter-writing topics for IBPS PO descriptive paper 2023.

2. Write a letter to the branch manager to claim the amount as a nominee to your father’s account.

3. Write a letter to the E-commerce site portal to deliver products to your localities.

4. Write a letter to your branch manager requesting to open a Current account since u are doing business.

5. Write a letter to the editor to make awareness of government yojana plans.

6. Write a letter to your insurance officer to claim your amount since your lock-in period is over.

7. Write a letter to your district collector to establish many coaching or training institutes for rural people to prepare for competitive exams.

9. Write a letter to the head of the water body to remind them of the increasing pollution of river water and the decreasing trend of groundwater level.

10. Write a letter to the human rights commission to make peace in your locality against of communal atrocities.

Descriptive Letter Writing for Bank Exams 2023 –  Description  of a Letter

The letter writing for bank exams pdf description details are provided here for the formal and informal letter types. Candidates can follow the format provided here.

Descriptive Letter Writing for Bank PO Exam –  How to Convey My Message?

Before writing letters for bank PO exams, aspirants have to plan for themselves which type of letter will be presented by them.

If It is a Formal Letter:

• Aspirants must observe whether the body of the content should be addressing complaints, requisition for something, or stating information.
• Mentioning the subject clarifies to the receiver what is defined in the following content.
• The body of the content should be concise information on what needs to be delivered.
• Ending the content, the aspirant must add a statement to express gratitude or requisition words to make the desired action to be complete.

If It is an Informal Letter:

• Aspirants can express their own ideas, wishes, worries …… etc.
• Aspirants need to mention words like hey/hello/how are you? ……..  at the start of the content.

Letter Writing for IBPS PO Mains 2023 –  What I Should Not Do?

Here we have added the things that should not be done while writing the letter writing for the IBPS PO mains 2023 exam.

• The aspirant should not use colloquial language in any form.
• Content should not be lengthy.
• The aspirant should not use irrespective words of anybody or any other organization.
• The aspirant should not define fake information.
• Should not use impertinent words while suggesting remedies or opinions.

Letter Writing for Bank Exams 2023 –  Where I Can Practice Myself?

• Aspirants need to watch daily events occur everywhere which helps them to ask questions themselves and also provides ideas to describe answers.
• Aspirants need to learn more vocabulary so that information can be delivered briefly with a clear vision.
• Aspirants should have a habit of sending letters on daily events through mail to their friends, colleagues…etc. in a week. It improves their content preparing knowledge and also typing speed so that letters can be completed within the stipulated time.

Follow the steps provided above for letter writing for bank exams pdf provided with practice tips and approaches that should be followed.

IBPS PO Descriptive Paper 2023 Topics for Essay Writing

The important essay-writing topics for IBPS PO that the aspirants can practice for the upcoming bank exams are discussed below.

How I should deliver my content?

Candidates must know how to deliver the content of essay writing which is provided here.

• The first paragraph should contain mandatory information regarding the topic.
• Definition, key information, current events, causes and effects, and precautionary measures need to be described.
• The body of the content should be confidential information and optimistic ideas about the topic.
• The sentence should be interrelated with the previous one with the required keywords and avoid repeating of same sentences.

English Language Section practice Quiz

How to exhibit my language and vocabulary skills.

Essay writing requires good language and vocabulary skills.

• Aspirants can use basic-level familiar vocabulary to present their content.
• Grammatical skill is required to frame a sentence with proper sequence and avoid Grammar mistakes.
• Aspirants must apply common subjects like people, politicians, employees…etc. instead of pronouns(I, WE, U, THEY, HE, SHE).

How to conclude the topic?

Check how to write a descriptive essay conclusion in an effective manner is provided here.

• Content should be concluded logically from the above-mentioned paragraph in the essay. It should create optimistic thoughts about the issue.
• The narration of the topic should create passion and positive impacts among the readers and should be attractive.

How the evaluator will examine my essay?

• Examiners will look after the keywords represented in the essay so that the body of the content can be identified.
• Examiners will scrutinize the grammatical skills of the writer and vocabulary skills through which the words used in the essay learned by the writer could be justified.
• Word spelling and sentence coherence in passages will be verified so that basic language skills can be known.

Things should be avoided

Check the details of thongs that should be avoided for essay writing

• The introduction part should not be too lengthy.
• The sentence should not be repeated twice in an essay.
• Information should not be non–coherent.
• Aspirants are advised not to choose a topic that makes them uncomfortable to collect ample points.
• The Aspirant was advised not to use difficult-level vocabulary while delivering content.
• Grammatical mistakes should be avoided.
• Maximum negative views over the topic need to be avoided.
• Aspirants should avoid the usage of pronouns in the passage.
• Should not use colloquial languages while typing text like bcz, pls, u, know…etc
• The aspirant must avoid making spelling mistakes while typing text hurriedly.

How to practice? where I can get the source?

Check how to practice writing a descriptive essay and the source to write the descriptive essay in an effective manner.

• The aspirant has to read the daily news, and current affairs and should have the habit of reading editorial sections in newspapers like the Hindu, times of India…etc.
• Aspirants can frame sentences easily by learning more vocabulary and the habit of creating their own sentences for the word learned.
• Practicing and creating own title and making content on own on a daily basis enhance the knowledge of collecting points for any topic and make the candidate finish the essay on the stipulated time.

FAQs – IBPS PO Descriptive Paper 2023 PDF Download

Here we have given some common FAQs related to the IBPS PO Descriptive Paper 2023 pdf for the reference of the candidates.

Q 1. Is there a descriptive test in t he IBPS PO exam?

Ans . Yes, there is a descriptive test in the IBPS PO mains examination. The test comprises two questions for 50 marks which need to be answered in 30 minutes.

Q 2. What type of questions are asked in the IBPS PO descriptive test?

Ans . One Essay writing and one Letter writing question are asked in the descriptive paper for the IBPS PO exam.

Q3. Is the IBPS PO descriptive paper online or offline?

Ans . The IBPS PO descriptive paper test is conducted online.

Q4. When will the IBPS PO 2023 mains descriptive exam be conducted?

Ans. IBPS PO mains descriptive exam date will be announced soon.

Q. What   are the types of letter writing?

The letters are classified into two types and they are formal and informal letters.

Q. What is a formal letter?

The formal letter is also known as the official letter and it is written to a respected person, reputed organization, or higher officials.

Q.   How to choose a topic for an essay in the main exam?

Aspirants must choose a topic on which sufficient points could be collected at the stipulated time and the topic should be current affairs.

Q. What should be avoided in essay writing?

Grammatical mistakes and sentence repetition should be avoided while writing an essay.

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IBPS PO 2021 Mains on 22nd Jan 2022: Check PO Mains Descriptive Test Important Essay & Letter Writing Topics

Check ibps po mains 2021 descriptive test important essay & letter writing topics for ibps po 2021 mains that will be held on 22nd january 2022 to fill up 4135 vacancies for po/mts in 11 public sector banks..

IBPS PO Mains 2021 Important Dates

Ibps po mains 2021 exam pattern.

The IBPS PO Mains 2021 Exam will be held ONLINE in two sections – Objective Tests of 200 marks and a Descriptive Test for 25 Marks. The Objective Tests will include a total of 155 questions (MCQs) from 4 sections - Reasoning & Computer Aptitude, General/Economy/Banking Awareness, English Language, and Data Analysis & Interpretation. The Descriptive Test will consist of a total of 2 questions on Letter Writing and Essay Writing.

NOTE:  

(i) There is a negative marking for every wrong answer given by the candidates in the Objective Tests. One-fourth or 0.25 of the marks assigned to a question will be a deduction for wrong answers. There will be no penalty for a question if a question is left blank wherein no answer is marked by the candidate.

(ii) Each candidate will be required to obtain a minimum score in each test of the Online Main examination and also a minimum total score to be considered to be shortlisted for interview. Cut-offs will be decided depending on the number of vacancies available and candidates will be shortlisted for interview.

IBPS PO 2021 Mains Descriptive Paper

Descriptive Paper of English Language (Letter Writing & Essay) in the IBPS PO Mains 2021 will include two questions for a total of 25 marks. One question will be conducted online immediately after the completion of the Online Objective Test. Candidates will have to answer Descriptive Paper by typing on the computer using the keyboard. Candidates will only be able to submit their answer paper after the completion of the test duration which is 30 minutes. There will be no facility for spell check.

IBPS PO Mains 2021 Descriptive Paper Important Essay & Letter Writing Topics (Expected)

Ibps po mains previous years' essay & letter writing topics, ibps po mains 2020 essay & letter writing topics.

Essay Writing (word limit 250 words )

(i) Work From Home amid COVID-19

(ii) Inflation

Letter Writing (word limit 150 words)

(i) Letter to the shopkeeper to complain about damaged electronic product

IBPS PO Mains 2019 Essay & Letter Writing Topics

Essay Writing Topics (word limit 250 words )

(i) Ethical Banking

(ii) Influence of Social Media 

(iii) Contribution of Unorganised Sector in Indian Economy

(iv) Pros and Cons of 4 days working in a week

(v) FDI in retail sector

Letter Writing Topics (word limit 150 words)

(i) Write a letter to your bank’s branch manager informing him that your EMI installment of Rs. 3000 has been deducted instead of Rs. 2000. Request him to take the necessary action to roll back the transaction or adjust the amount.

(ii) Write a letter to the Road Transport Authority expressing your concern over usage of high beam LED lights in bikes and cars

(iii) Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper expressing your concern on the state of elderly living alone by themselves. Request the government to take some initiatives to help the senior citizens living alone.

IBPS PO 2021 Mains Admit Card Download Link

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• Q1 What is the total marks & exam duration for Descriptive Paper in IBPS PO Mains 2021? + Descriptive Paper of English Language (Letter Writing & Essay) in the IBPS PO Mains 2021 will include two questions for a total of 25 marks. Time allotted is 30 minutes.
• Q2 What are the current topics for Descriptive Paper in IBPS PO Mains 2021? + Current Important topics for Essay in IBPS PO Mains 2021 Descriptive Paper: Climate Crisis, Delhi Air Pollution problem – How it should be tackled, India’s Space Mission – Chandrayaan 2, Cryptocurrency: Govt’s Ban & RBI’s Digital Currency, India’s Rank in ease of doing business, etc
• Q3 What are the important Letter Writing topics in IBPS PO Mains 2021? + Check our article IBPS PO Mains 2021 Descriptive Test Important Essay Letter Writing Topics on Jagran Josh for Important Informal & Informal Letter Writing Topics for IBPS PO Mains 2021 (Expected).
• Q4 What is the evaluation scheme for Descriptive Paper in IBPS PO Mains 2021? + Descriptive Paper of English Language (Letter Writing & Essay) may be evaluated by an automated scoring mechanism for identifying features related to writing proficiency.
• Q5 What is the syllabus for Descriptive Paper in IBPS PO Mains 2021? + The syllabus for Descriptive Paper in IBPS PO Mains 2021 includes Letter Writing and Essay Writing.
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IBPS PO Previous Year Descriptive Question Paper

To help the candidates in their IBPS PO Mains Exam preparation and to give them an idea about the previous year's questions, we are here with the IBPS PO Previous Year Descriptive Question paper.

Table of Contents

IBPS PO Previous Year Descriptive Question Paper: It is essential for all the candidates to know the previous year’s questions and the type of questions asked in the examination. As we all know IBPS PO Mains exam is going to be held on 5 November 2023. To help the candidates in their IBPS PO Mains Exam preparation and to give them an idea about the previous year’s questions, we are here with the IBPS PO Descriptive Previous Year Question paper.

IBPS PO Previous Year Descriptive Question Paper

Before candidates can check the list of IBPS PO Previous Year Descriptive Questions, you should be clear with the IBPS PO Exam Pattern. A total of 30 minutes is allotted to each candidate and they should write a letter and an essay in the given time duration. The word limit for letter writing and essay writing is 150 words and 250 words respectively. Here we have provided the IBPS PO Descriptive Previous Year Question Paper so that candidates can understand the descriptive papers.

IBPS PO Mains Admit Card 2023- Click Here to Download

IBPS PO Previous Year Descriptive Questions

We are providing below the IBPS PO Descriptive Previous Year Question for the upcoming IBPS PO Main exam 2023. It is advisable to try questions multiple times to perform better in the upcoming examination.

• Work From Home Amid COVID-19
• Contribution of the Unorganised Sector in the Indian Economy.
• Letter to the shopkeeper to complain about the damaged electronic product.
• Pros and Cons of 4 days working in a week.
• Ethical Banking
• FDI in the retail sector.
• Does India need a universal health care system?
• Influence of Social Media.
• Magazines and Journals have switched to digital media.
• Advantages of learning foreign languages.
• The letter related to Loan- to inform the customer about his or her not being eligible for the loan.
• Letter to your office colleague.
• Write a Letter to your friend encouraging and advising him to plan his own start-up.
• Write a letter to the Road Transport Authority expressing your concern over the usage of high-beam LED lights in bikes and cars.
• Effects of gadgets on the intellectual capabilities of humans.
• Write a letter to the branch manager requesting him to block your credit card as you’ve lost it and ask him to issue you a new card.
• Advantages and Disadvantages of a Cashless Economy.
• Reform in Indian education can be compared with the International level.
• Write a letter to your neighbor thanking them for their help in your hour of need.
• Write a letter to the editor on types of pollution and how to reduce it.
• Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper expressing your concern about the state of elderly living alone by themselves. Request the government to take some initiatives to help the senior citizens living alone.
• Write a letter to your bank’s branch manager informing him that your EMI installment of Rs. 3000 has been deducted instead of Rs. 2000. Request him to take the necessary action to roll back the transaction or adjust the amount.

When will the IBPS PO Mains Exam be held?

IBPS PO Mains Exam will be held on 5 November 2023.

• Previous Year papers

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SBI PO & IBPS PO Descriptive Paper Test | Essay & Letter Writing Topics | Word Limit

SBI PO & IBPS PO Descriptive Paper Test: Dear EP ‘ians, in recent days all PO mains exam we have a descriptive test consisting letter writing and essay writing which plays a important role in our cutoff in exams like SBI PO, IBPS PO etc. So it is important to focus more on these sections to crack this PO recruitment. Here we have given the Important Tips to write Essay and Letter for both SBI PO and IBPS PO Descriptive Paper. Candidates who were preparing for SBI PO Mains and IBPS PO Mains Exam can use this Descriptive Test Topics.

Exam pattern of SBI PO & IBPS PO Descriptive Paper:

Sectional timing: 30 minutes

Section mark: For SBI PO – 50 marks, For IBPS PO – 25 marks.

Word limit for PO Descriptive Paper: 150 (letter writing) and 250 (essay writing)

Evaluation of Descriptive Test:

Descriptive Test paper will be evaluated only if that candidate has scored qualifying marks in the Objective Tests.

Essay Writing – SBI PO & IBPS PO Descriptive Paper Essay:

The Descriptive Essay writing tips for PO Exams were given below and aspirants can make use of it. Also we have given the sbi po and ibps po descriptive essay topics.

Tips to write essay in PO exam – SBI PO & IBPS PO Essay Topics 2020:

Essay writing is all about your writing skills and how well you present your thoughts on a particular topic. This section also includes your knowledge on a particular topic.

How to prepare for SBI PO & IBPS PO Descriptive Essay?

• Read newspaper daily especially business and editorial section for preparation of descriptive writing test, which makes you comfortable to their writing style which is really difficult to understand for new one and also improve your writing skills.
• Practice one article every day in your own words on any current topic from the newspaper.

Things to keep in mind for SBI PO & IBPS PO Descriptive Paper:

• Try to cover the essay in 3 parts like introduction, body and conclusion about 3-4 paragraphs.
• Don’t mention like ‘ introduction’, ‘conclusion’ because it is understandable.
• Use technical terms in the paragraph to score more. For example if topic related to FDI means use terms like GDP, GNP etc.
• Don’t repeat the points.
• Use recent current affairs points or statistical report related to topics if needed.
• Try to avoid more negative points unless cons were asked.
• Be precise about what you are conveying and don’t go away from the topic.
• Last paragraph must be summarized or concluded.

Notable Points to Write Descriptive Essay:

• Choose your questions wisely.
• Take 30 second to gather points before you start typing.
• Mention the question number initially whether (a) or (b)
• Scrolling and direction keys are disabled so be careful while typing.

Letter Writing – SBI PO & IBPS PO Descriptive Paper Letter Writing Format:

Need of letter writing in PO exams: As an Assistant Manager it is important to have good communication and analytical skills at the customer level and organizational level. Through this letter writing the bank will test your ability of written communication within the organization.

There are two types of letters asked in these exams are;

• Formal letter (written to bank manager, editor of newspaper etc.)
• Informal letter (written to friends, relatives etc.)

Things to keep in mind to write Descriptive Letter:

• Letter writing consists of two questions so read the questions properly, understand it well and choose your topic wisely. If you are confident with formal letter choose that else go for informal letter.
• Choose the writing format correctly; the format will differ for formal to informal letter. You will find the format of both letters at the end of the article.
• The presentation of your letter depends on your grammatical expression and the vocabulary that you are using. Be very sure of the meaning and spelling of words that you use. The language should be easily understandable.
• A letter must never be written in points. It’s an absolutely incorrect structure to follow.
• Stick to the limitation of words and be precise.
• The content of your letter should be written in polite manner and friendly tone. Avoid using ordering tone and words. Use pleasing words like “i request/ am requesting”
• Use comma after every line of address.
• Avoid using abbreviations like ‘bcuz’, ‘crt’ also avoid using acronyms like ‘ROFL’, ‘LOL’
• Since you have given your introduction in beginning don’t give self intro again in body of the letter. In the body of letter, talk about the reason for writing letter.
• Try to convey the purpose of the letter short in subject, it should not lengthy.
• Be very sure of the meaning and spelling of words that you use.
• Try to give additional details if required. For example, if you are writing letter to Bank Manager about your account enquiry add the account number, bank branch etc. Change the requirements according to the question.
• Don’t give your personal name like ‘Anil’ or ‘Samuvel’ give it as ‘AAA’ or ‘XYZ’. In case you are writing number in letter like pin code, account number or phone number, try to use single number to represent. Example: Phone number 1111111111 / 0000000000. Give fake details like this.
• You can use any format to mention date like 26 June 2020/ June 26, 2020/ 26-06-2020
• In formal letter use salutations like ‘Respected sir/madam’ or just simply ‘sir/madam’, for the informal letter use ‘Dear friend’, ‘My dearest sister’ don’t use these kind of salutation in formal letter.
• There is no need of subject in informal letter.
• Use “Mr.” for a male recipient. If you do not know how a female recipient prefers to be addressed, it is best to use “Ms.”
• Once you finish writing the letter, you have to end it with a complimentary closing. Some of the closings include Respectfully Yours Sincerely, with regards etc.

Format of the letter writing in SBI PO & IBPS PO:

• Your (Fake) Address
• Today’s Date
• Salutations
• Introductory Paragraph, Body (dealing with the subject of the letter), Concluding Paragraph
• Complimentary Closing

8. Your (Fake) Name (and Designation where necessary)

Download Descriptive Important Topics Sample Essay

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how to write the northwestern essay

What are your chances of acceptance.

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

How to Write the Northwestern University Essays 2023-2024

Northwestern University is a private research university located in Evanston, Illinois, just a 30-minute train ride north of Chicago. It’s got a beautiful lakefront campus and glimmering views of the city.  Overall, Northwestern is a sought-after and highly competitive institution. It’s clear that aspiring Northwestern wildcats must stand out to be accepted, and one way to do that is through your supplemental essays. In this post, we’ll break down Northwestern’s supplemental prompts.

Read these Northwestern essay examples to inspire your writing.

Northwestern University Essay Prompts

Required for all applicants.

Prompt 1:  We want to be sure we’re considering your application in the context of your personal experiences: What aspects of your background, your identity, or your school, community, and/or household settings have most shaped how you see yourself engaging in Northwestern’s community, be it academically, extracurricularly, culturally, politically, socially, or otherwise? (300 words)

Recommended for All Applicants

Prompt 2: The following questions are optional, but we encourage you to answer at least one and no more than two. Please respond in fewer than 200 words per question:

• Option 1 : Painting “The Rock” is a tradition at Northwestern that invites all forms of expression—students promote campus events or extracurricular groups, support social or activist causes, show their Wildcat spirit (what we call “Purple Pride”), celebrate their culture, and more. What would you paint on The Rock, and why?
• Option 2 : Northwestern fosters a distinctively interdisciplinary culture. We believe discovery and innovation thrive at the intersection of diverse ideas, perspectives, and academic interests. Within this setting, if you could dream up an undergraduate class, research project, or creative effort (a start-up, a design prototype, a performance, etc.), what would it be? Who might be some ideal classmates or collaborators?
• Option 3 : Community and belonging matter at Northwestern. Tell us about one or more communities, networks, or student groups you see yourself connecting with on campus.
• Option 4 : Northwestern’s location is special: on the shore of Lake Michigan, steps from downtown Evanston, just a few miles from Chicago. What aspects of our location are most compelling to you, and why?
• Option 5 : Northwestern is a place where people with diverse backgrounds from all over the world can study, live, and talk with one another. This range of experiences and viewpoints immeasurably enriches learning. How might your individual background contribute to this diversity of perspectives in Northwestern’s classrooms and around our campus?

Prompt 1 (Required)

We want to be sure we’re considering your application in the context of your personal experiences: what aspects of your background, your identity, or your school, community, and/or household settings have most shaped how you see yourself engaging in northwestern’s community, be it academically, extracurricularly, culturally, politically, socially, or otherwise (300 words).

You’re probably familiar with this kind of prompt, which we call the archetypal “Why This College?” essay . This prompt is essentially asking you why you’re interested in Northwestern and how the school can support your goals and interests, both academic and extracurricular. (We highly recommend checking out CollegeVine’s breakdown of the “Why This College?” essay above, as it goes into a lot more detail and will help you out with other schools as well). 

As you’re brainstorming, you should consider both the tangible and intangible aspects of Northwestern and how they align with your goals, subjects, and values. You should be setting up a “Force Dyad” with yourself and Northwestern as attractive poles. Compile a list of the specific programs, classes, clubs, and other resources at Northwestern that interest you. How do they align with your own academic or professional interests? Is there a program that merges two interests of yours? Is there an extracurricular that you were really seeking in your college search?

It’s worth it, but not required, to plan your essay in a T-chart format: 

This exercise will give you a clearer, larger picture of your connection to the school, and allow you to talk about the connections fluidly and naturally. 

How should I research this? 

• Always have the school website open, and always make a few more clicks than you initially think you’re going to need. School websites can be mazelike, so allow yourself a lot of time. Check out faculty profiles, lists of current undergraduate work, connected programs, and any volunteerism done through different departments. 
• Additionally, lots of departments, research centers, or undergraduate schools have e-newsletters you can subscribe to, or publications you can find online. This will present you with the most recent contributions and discoveries of Northwestern staff and research.
• This is also a great opportunity to politely email departments and professors, asking about their perspectives on Northwestern programs, or asking to be put in touch with current students. This will give you a better view than looking at the website, and will also demonstrate to admissions that you went the extra mile to assess Northwestern’s environment. 

Be highly specific and granular. This applies to both your interests and your future goals. It’s not enough to be interested in a general subject, like “journalism” or “politics.” You have to pinpoint exactly which facets of your areas you want to really delve into. Instead of “journalism and politics,” you could instead discuss how the Medill on the Hill program would allow you to get invaluable hands-on experience directly from Northwestern’s Washington newsroom, and how this will help your goal to one day work as a TV writer covering developments in LGBT politics on a national level. This is much more targeted, and paints a better picture of you as a student and aspiring professional. Remember: it’s easier for them to admit someone with a detailed plan than someone with a fuzzy outline. If you’ve already done the work visualizing and planning your time on campus, that’s less mental work for admissions, and a faster track to a “yes.”

Don’t skimp on the extracurriculars! While the classroom is important, Northwestern wants to know how you will engage with the community on campus. For example, the student with a passion for the environment might join In Our Nature , a “paperless magazine that aims to bring the environment to everyone.” You should aim to spend just as much time discussing your extracurricular interests as your academic ones, because this will illuminate your character quirks and ability to think creatively, outside the syllabus and grade transcript. It’s worth it to choose extracurricular activities that expand on your goals and academic interests. If I were writing about In Our Nature, for example, I would cite my love for integrating complex topics in marine biology with creative nonfiction techniques, and my desire to pursue scientific writing as a profession. 

Chisel out your goals with the attention of a sculptor . Since the prompt asks you you’ll “make use of specific resources and opportunities,” you need to have some kind of goal or interest in mind. And as previously stated, a concrete and specific goal looks better (and is easier to write for) than a generalized, nebulous goal. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to have a major or a career nailed down – you just need to find a specific attraction to learning, or a specific mode of analysis you want to apply. You can achieve specificity in a number of ways: philosophy, how you want to engage others, a community you want to help, etc. For example, a student who’s still undecided between history and biology might find a specific commonality in her approach to research: “I believe in research that involves significant hands-on exploration, whether that’s recreating 17 th -century shipbuilding techniques or collecting samples from a forest, is the best way to understand one’s subjects in a grounded, equalized, and fully immersive way.” This applicant is undecided, but specific in her approach to learning and the kind of learning environment she wants. 

Please note: applying with a goal doesn’t mean you’re committed to it all four years. It just has to be your goal right now, and you should think about what steps you need to reach that goal. Those steps should align with some sort of unique resource at Northwestern, and you should be able to clearly define how those complement each other.  

Speaking of goals: GOALS! The content of this essay should always loop back to you and your goals. If you think any student could write what you’ve written, then you haven’t written something that’s engaging or compelling yet. The same goes for the Northwestern resources you choose to discuss. If those opportunities are available at many schools, you’ll want to do more research and pick more unique resources, to show that you’re truly invested in Northwestern.

Prompt 2 (Recommended)

The following questions are optional, but we encourage you to answer at least one and no more than two. please respond in fewer than 200 words per question..

Let’s be honest: an “optional” essay is really just a required essay without the label—especially for an essay that is supposed to show why you and Northwestern are a great fit. This is an opportunity you should take advantage of: more space to sell yourself and highlight your achievements.

Prompt 2, Option A

Painting “the rock” is a tradition at northwestern that invites all forms of expression—students promote campus events or extracurricular groups, support social or activist causes, show their wildcat spirit (what we call “purple pride”), celebrate their culture, and more. what would you paint on the rock, and why (200 words).

While brainstorming a hypothetical such as painting a rock may seem arbitrary and premature, this exercise cleverly disguises a far-more important question within its wording – What will you bring to Northwestern? While many people believe the admissions process is all about proving your academic prowess to an admissions counselor, the truth is that admissions is far more nuanced. Colleges can and will choose to admit someone they find more complex and interesting than someone who may just look good on paper. While all supplemental essays offer you the chance to showcase this, this prompt in particular is a great opportunity to set yourself apart, that is, so long as you really do set yourself apart.

Brainstorming your topic:

The approach to this prompt is not about specifically brainstorming a specific message or work of art you hope to display on the Rock, but rather what kind of student and more importantly, person you will be at Northwestern. So, what kind of student are you hoping to be?

In order to answer this, it’s necessary to understand the values and culture of Northwestern. According to their website , Northwestern students lead with compassion, showcasing empathy and understanding, they model responsibility, are committed to social justice, embrace well-being, practicing open communication and helping others develop through candid feedback, among other qualities.

That’s a whole lot to choose from, but the throughlines are actually quite simple: In a nutshell, students at Northwestern do not value the individual over the community, they fight for each other and those overlooked, and they must uphold morality and ethical behavior in all endeavors, both academic, professional, and anywhere else.

Of course, the interpretation you have of Northwestern’s values is entirely up to you, but in general, reflect on the type of student you hope to be while in college. What excites you about learning in an environment like Northwestern? What goals do you have for yourself? What do you hope to engage in with others? What new horizons do you hope to explore? Let these questions guide your thinking and research, and ultimately, let them lead you to your answer.

Tips for writing your essay:

Once you have a clearer picture of what impact you hope to have at Northwestern, whether that be in extracurricular organizations, community service, or something else entirely, it’s time to translate that to what kind of message you would put on the rock. By now, it should become more apparent that the tradition of painting the rock is far less of an individual expression and more along the lines of a message or movement you hope to highlight to a wider community.

As such, you don’t need to begin your response with your answer. Instead, present your connection with whatever endeavor you wish to participate in. Perhaps you’ve chosen to write about your passion for community service, and your hopes to participate in one of Northwestern’s opportunities such as Jumpstart, which partners Northwestern students with preschool children in under-resourced communities to help improve the children’s language, literacy, and social skills to best prepare them for kindergarten. Rather than leading with “ If there was anything I could paint on the rock, I would bring awareness to Northwestern’s Jumpstart program ”, write first about the why . Consider this format:

“ I was diagnosed with dyslexia at a young age, a moment that shattered my educational experience before it even started. As I grew older, I learned I was fortunate enough to be at a school that understood the challenges I faced, giving me resources like extra time and faculty advisors to walk me through my early education. Now I feel a passion to help other children break through the barriers they may face in their education, whether that be through learning disabilities or financial or social inequity. Northwestern’s Jumpstart program is an amazing opportunity that connects interested college students to these very communities, and I hope to channel my own experiences traversing educational challenges and insecurities to give back. Through engaging with the Jumpstart curriculum and supporting faculty in Chicago preschools, Jumpstart is an inspiring effort to connect college students to preschoolers, and is particularly inspiring to me, as I hope to be someone these students can rely on for patience and kindness. To me, this is a cause that can never have too much awareness, and as such, I’d team up with fellow Jumpstart members to showcase why the cause matters on the Rock. ”

No matter what prompt you write, the admissions staff is looking to learn more about you and what you care about, so while your own experiences will always vary, it is essential to explain your background and what made you into who you are today. While this response may not immediately answer the question, it will paint a vivid picture of you before leading to a developed and well-thought-out answer. Before we know what you want to paint on the rock, we know you have a passion for community service, have a personal connection to that cause, and also value teamwork and collaboration when it comes to accomplishing your goals. No matter the specifics, showcasing a mature understanding of both the prompt and its impact will undoubtedly set you apart in the admissions process.

Mistakes to avoid:

On the flip side, it is vital to not opt to paint something that only serves to benefit you, or only expresses your distinct interests or motivations. A real-world example of this comes from a popular Northwestern story in which a student chose to paint the rock in honor of their mother’s birthday. While this is undoubtedly a nice gesture, think of the implications of writing this in a response to this prompt. Not only does it not show an interest in advancing or helping Northwestern’s community or other communities, it also reads as a narrow-minded choice of expression when provided with a platform for messages to be seen by a wider community.

Prompt 2, Option B

Northwestern fosters a distinctively interdisciplinary culture. we believe discovery and innovation thrive at the intersection of diverse ideas, perspectives, and academic interests. within this setting, if you could dream up an undergraduate class, research project, or creative effort (a start-up, a design prototype, a performance, etc.), what would it be who might be some ideal classmates or collaborators (200 words).

This is a broad question that inspires you to think creatively, and really throw out an area of interest you’re hoping to explore or a far-off goal you’re hoping to achieve while at Northwestern. It’s a foray into independent study, and should hopefully get you thinking about what kind of undertakings you wish to encounter while in college and have resources at your disposal. It’s Northwestern asking you for your passion project, and as such, it should be treated with as much creativity and personality as possible.

This will most likely be the hardest stage of answering this prompt, so if you already have an idea of what you want to write about, a lot of your hard work is actually done. The reason this may prove challenging for you, however, is that there is a fine line between ambition and unrealistic thought. While you may be able to come up with a variety of projects you would love to explore, your eventual response should feel grounded and rooted in research you’ve done into ongoing endeavors at Northwestern as well as recent or even past projects students and professors have completed. Writing that you wish to design a drug that can reverse the effects of human aging is certainly an impressive undertaking, but it means nothing unless you’ve rooted your response in truth.

That being said, don’t feel you need to restrict yourself quite yet at this stage. Really think about what you are genuinely passionate about, and take those ideas and begin researching how Northwestern can help you engage with them. If it remains in the field of science, look through a directory of professors, read and understand the research they’ve conducted, and browse through the courses that may already exist related to your field of interest. 

If it’s in the arts or humanities, the process is similar, but instead of corresponding your investigation to practical research, look into what students are actively creating at Northwestern. Are there design labs they collaborate in? How are students guided toward their art projects? What obstacles do students face in enacting their visions?

The second part of this response deals with who you hope to engage within your project or research. While this may seem like a convoluted hypothetical, it’s perhaps the most important part of this prompt. This is your chance to really get specific, and showcase your plan of action when you do hopefully attend Northwestern. 

Are there specific clubs or classes you can join to meet students with similar interests and questions? Are there any overarching research programs related to your interest, and if so, what professors are at the forefront? How do you hope to rally interest behind your chosen topic?

Remember that just because you’re interested in something, doesn’t mean everyone else will automatically be onboard. It’s important to write about why your chosen topic is not only exciting to you but can also enhance learning and the curriculum already in place at Northwestern.

Once you’ve chosen your ideal academic effort and have done the research, you’ll have a much easier time showcasing your ambition and creativity by using facts. As usual with many supplemental essays, the heart of your response lies in your personal connection to the prompt. Whatever you’ve chosen to write about hopefully already has a personal component to it, so lead with that. In doing so, you’ll hook the reader in before engaging them with specifics, which will serve you well when you prove that you can back up your proposal with research.

Using the example of aging research, consider this response:

“If I could design any new academic program at Northwestern, there would be no other choice for me than to design a new undergraduate curriculum for aging research. My hope would be to combine modern technology with past research in order to develop new solutions to life’s oldest questions and problems, and inspire other students to further dive into this relatively under researched field.”

Amongst many problems with this response, the one that will stick out the most is a lack of any human spirit or emotion. Anybody can sit down and type out a response about their hopes to expand awareness of a field of study to a larger student body, but not everyone thinks the way you will. Not everyone has even an acute interest in the subject, including the admissions reader. The admissions reader is not looking for a new idea to add to the existing curriculum, they’re looking for a new student with a fresh perspective. Let’s tweak that response, and make it much more personal:

“ My grandma passed away a few years before I was born from something inherently avoidable – old age. While this may sound juvenile, a stubborn personality combined with a quickly rotating assembly of doctors made it difficult for my grandma to receive proper care in her golden years. Learning about this has made me incredibly passionate about the study of aging, specifically how modern technology can be used to provide care like never before, not just in efficacy, but in convenience for the patient. Northwestern is already a pioneer in aging research, being home to the renowned Potocsnak Longevity Institute and devoted research to “SuperAgers”, Nanoscience, and Translational Biology. To address the few opportunities for undergraduate students to engage with this research, my proposal is for there to be a broad program to encourage and teach students about this field and its importance, using research from current Northwestern faculty to guide them…”

While it’s always important to ensure your personal statement does not overstay its welcome, the personal statement is vital in planting the seeds for the rest of your response, as showcased here. Now that we understand this hypothetical student’s rationale for caring about the study of aging, we become open to hearing their proposal on the subject, and in doing so, the actual proposal matters less. This student cites Northwestern’s pre-existing work in this field, and will go on to add their own ideas on how undergraduates can get increasingly involved with Northwestern faculty working on the frontlines of this research. As a result, the student has showcased they have a genuine passion and understanding for the subject, as well as a genuine passion and understanding of the school at large.

Prompt 2, Option C

Community and belonging matter at northwestern. tell us about one or more communities, networks, or student groups you see yourself connecting with on campus. (200 words).

This prompt is a variation of a Why This College essay, asking you to specifically name and elaborate on various communities or groups you hope to be a part of when attending Northwestern. It’s your chance to demonstrate the impact you hope to have while at Northwestern, and finding specificity in your answer can really separate you from the pack. 

It is also a chance for you to highlight aspects of yourself that may not be readily apparent on other parts of your application, giving you the opportunity to showcase communities you’ve been a part of in the past as well as elaborate on some aspects of your identity.

The first step in choosing a topic comes with researching Northwestern’s various communities, networks, and student groups. Research can come in the form of visiting the various organizations’ websites, diving into school forums to hear what students are engaging with, to even talking with current and past Northwestern students about the communities they’ve been a part of while on campus. 

If you find yourself overwhelmed with the sheer number of communities found on campus (Northwestern has almost 500 student organizations), another approach you can take is first deciding what kind of community you hope most to be a part of if you become a Northwestern student. 

Reflect on communities that you’ve been a part of in the past, and decide whether your engagement with those communities has had a lasting effect on your interests and identity. Chances are there will be a number of communities you both already identify with and exist on Northwestern’s campus, and drawing a link between past and future will be a great way for you to develop your response.

Remember that this prompt isn’t just for the admissions reader to get a better sense of who you are, but to see how you may fit into Northwestern’s larger culture and the communities that exist there. As such, it’s important to research the core values and principles of Northwestern. For example, one of Northwestern’s core values lies in a commitment to social justice, so if you were part of an activism group in your high school that gave you a sense of pride and purpose, it would be easy for you to draw a link between your past experiences and potential ones you may have as a continuing member of a community dedicated to social justice.

Once you’ve reflected on your past community involvement, it may become easier for you to source the communities at Northwestern you’re interested in connecting with. And while the prompt allows you to elaborate on multiple communities, you may find it easier to focus on just one community to highlight in your 200-word response.

Finally, remember that “community” can mean several different things, and does not necessarily need to be a student group or organization. Community can refer to an identity, interest, ethnicity, personality trait, or something else entirely. It’s defined by you, and as such, is defined by what you choose to write about.

Once you’ve chosen a community at Northwestern to write about, consider the impact said the community would have on your experience, on your goals both academically and personally, and how being a part of that community would allow you to apply yourself to the campus community as a whole. 

Remember to be as specific as you possibly can and show a genuine interest and understanding of how said community operates at Northwestern. Following on the path of communities dedicated to the pursuit of social justice, consider this response:

“ I grew up in a rural town without access to clean water. I embarked on an initiative with fellow students to bring water to our community, and in doing so, learned much about the environment, our country’s infrastructure, and what my generation can do to help. As such, I can not foresee a world where I don’t invest as much time as I have into the Kellogg Energy and Sustainability Club at Northwestern. My commitment to environmental justice is life-long, and the Energy and Sustainability Club’s efforts to bring students and faculty together to change the way businesses and organizations work in the environment is something I’m eager to be a part of. The club’s dedication to making an impact not just on the environment, but people in positions of power, is inspiring. I believe that the key to my team’s success in high school was not any single individual’s desire to make change, but how our collective desires continued to inspire each other, and the community that the Energy and Sustainability Club fosters is vital to that cause. ”

Prompt 2, Option D

Northwestern’s location is special: on the shore of lake michigan, steps from downtown evanston, just a few miles from chicago. what aspects of our location are most compelling to you, and why (200 words).

This prompt asks you to highlight your interest in one of Northwestern’s crown jewels – its close proximity to the bustling city of Chicago. There are many different directions you can take this response, but the most important quality of your answer lies in demonstrating the personal impact and benefits the location will offer you.

Asking you to identify the parts of Chicago and its surrounding area you are most looking forward to living around is no small task – the region offers so many exciting opportunities, particularly for a college-aged student. 

You can choose to take a cultural route, writing about Chicago’s history, food, music, art, or anything in between, or you can take a practical route, writing about the various major businesses that call Chicago home and the connection Northwestern has with companies and other organizations in the greater Chicago area, or perhaps even an unconventional route entirely, something like writing about your obsession with sustainability and how the city of Chicago has always been a global leader in pioneering sustainability efforts. 

In all of these routes, the key throughline is to be incredibly specific. The more specific you are with your answer on why you think the location is special, the more specific you are really being about what makes you special.

Do research on the various elements of Chicago and its surrounding area that appeal to you, and see if you can elaborate on your personal connection with them.

Undoubtedly, one of the most difficult things about this essay will be choosing a topic to write about, and while there may be many things you hope to explore and engage with while attending Northwestern, it is important to narrow it down to not just the ones you’re most interested in, but the ones you believe showcase why going to Northwestern would be a special experience for you. 

Set up your response by sharing a personal anecdote or personal interest that you have, before diving into what Northwestern’s location offers for someone like you. Finally, wrap up your response by connecting the location back to Northwestern itself, and exactly how the school ties into the life you hope to live there. Here’s an example:

“I could not tell you the first thing about how to play an instrument, but perhaps that’s exactly why I’m so infatuated with Jazz. Maybe it’s the eclectic style of play, the chaotic structure of the music or rather lack thereof, or maybe it’s the bustling vibrant sounds themselves, whatever it is, Jazz has been a lifelong obsession with mine. The opportunity to go to a school with not just so many amazing music opportunities on campus, but one that is at the doorstep of one of the Jazz capitals of the world, is an absolute dream come true. Home to the Chicago Jazz Festival, a music festival I’ve been following my whole life, Chicago’s rich Jazz scene that’s housed many of my personal heroes is alive and well. While my parents may fear my proximity to so much jazz may endanger my studies, I believe it to be the exact opposite. The idea of jazz is grounded in spontaneity, curiosity, and instinct, all three of which I aim to channel as a student at Northwestern…”

Avoiding generalizations will be important to any kind of response you write about to this prompt. Chicago has so much to offer, and especially for admissions readers, they don’t need to be told about what the city has to offer so much as what the city has to offer you. For example, just because you watch and love The Bear , doesn’t mean that the thing you’re most excited for in Chicago is an Italian Beef sandwich. Remember to get specific with your answers and paint a picture of why the school’s location is impactful for you specifically.

Prompt 2, Option E

Northwestern is a place where people with diverse backgrounds from all over the world can study, live, and talk with one another. this range of experiences and viewpoints immeasurably enriches learning. how might your individual background contribute to this diversity of perspectives in northwestern’s classrooms and around our campus (200 words).

This is a relatively straightforward Diversity Essay , and tasks you with sharing a part of your background that you feel like you’d be bringing to campus. And diversity doesn’t necessarily have to mean things like ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status, diversity can be whatever you define it to be, whether that has to do with your interests, experiences, family, languages, or something else entirely. However, it’s important to really reflect on what diversity means to you before just quantifying anything as a diverse perspective. 

In taking that step, think about the aspects of your identity that you feel make you most unique. Think about your upbringing, your personality traits, your mistakes, experiences, and then even things that you felt were out of your control – what challenges have you faced because of things that may not have been your fault? Have you faced any prejudices? Any hardships because of your identity? Even reflecting on how you learned about or accepted your identity can be a great way to elaborate on your diversity.

It’s important to ask yourself these specific questions because whatever you do choose to write about will need to be very specific. A great way to give an admissions reader insight into the individual background you’d be bringing to campus is to open with an anecdote. Real anecdotes will allow an admissions reader to put themselves in your shoes, and be able to further understand how your individual background has affected you. Your chosen anecdote doesn’t necessarily have to be a hardship or an instance of prejudice, a unique cultural tradition, value, or family experience can be equally as effective in showcasing your diversity.

The second part of this prompt asks you specifically how you hope your individual background will contribute to Northwestern’s campus and community as a whole. This part of the prompt can be a little trickier, especially without actually being a student on campus. As such, this aspect of your response doesn’t need to be nearly as long, especially considering you only have 200 words total to answer. However, it’s still important to do your research as to what organizations or resources are on campus that you hope to engage with as well as what you hope your individual background can contribute to others. 

Perhaps you can write about how you hope to get involved with events with Multicultural Student Affairs, or how you hope to take a class in the Asian American Studies program to learn more about your own identity, or how you plan to engage with various LGBTQ+ organizations on campus to continue to advocate for inclusion and acceptance. Whatever route you choose to go down, be specific. Talk about specific events, classes, or organizations. Discuss their impact on campus and the community. And most importantly, talk about the impact it would have on you.

Where to Get Your Northwestern Essays Edited

Do you want feedback on your Northwestern essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools.  Find the right advisor for you  to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, 3 tips to write a perfect "why northwestern" essay.

College Info , College Essays

Northwestern University is an excellent choice for college, but can you easily explain just why you want to go there? If you're planning to apply to Northwestern, you'll need to submit the Northwestern supplemental essays —supplemental statements that describe why you've chosen to apply to this school and what you think Northwestern can offer you in terms of your future goals.

In this article, we'll go over what these supplemental essays entail as well as why you're required or encouraged to submit them. We'll also cover various topics and tips you can use to craft a compelling Northwestern supplement essay.

Feature Image: Herb Nestler /Flickr

No More Northwestern "Why This College" Essay

In the past, Northwestern asked students to write an optional "why this college" essay , which asked students to explain why Northwestern was a perfect fit for them. As of 2023, Northwestern no longer requires a "why this college" essay as part of the application process. 

Instead, the Northwestern application now has new essay prompts  that students have the option to answer. 

While Northwestern no longer has a "why this college" essay , many other schools require it.  Other schools that require or offer this type of essay include NYU , Tulane , and Brown .

If you're considering applying to a school with a "why this essay" prompt, reviewing 

Do You Need to Submit the "Why Northwestern" Essay?

According to the Northwestern application, although you are not required to submit the "Why Northwestern" essay, Northwestern strongly recommends that you do so anyway.

On both the Common Application and Coalition Application (depending on which system you use), you'll be shown this message on the Northwestern application:

Do you plan to complete the ''Why Northwestern'' Statement? (We strongly encourage a response, as your answer will help us connect the dots across your application to imagine what kind of college student you might become.)

You'll then select either "Yes" or "No" from a drop-down menu. If you select "Yes," you'll get a blank space in which to type/paste your essay. While you technically have a choice about whether to submit the "Why Northwestern" essay, we strongly recommend that you complete it.

Here's what the Northwestern application requirements page says in regard to the essays that applicants must submit with their applications:

"Applicants to Northwestern complete two sets of essays: essays appearing on the Common Application or Coalition Application, and the Northwestern Writing Supplement essay [i.e., the 'Why Northwestern' essay]."*

*Bold emphasis mine

Interestingly, there's no mention here of the "Why Northwestern" essay being optional at all—you're simply expected to write it. It's safe to say, then, that this "extra" essay actually plays a hugely important role in the application process, and that the majority of Northwestern applicants write two essays for their applications: the Common App/Coalition App essay and the (supposedly optional) "Why Northwestern" essay.

Additionally, it's worth noting that Northwestern highly values the concept of "fit" within their community . In this sense, it's not much of a surprise that Northwestern wants applicants to spend some time thinking about what kind of relationship they want to develop with the school.

Overall, you should treat the Northwestern supplement essay as a required part of your application.

The Northwestern Essay Prompt Analyzed

You should definitely submit the Northwestern supplement essay—but what is the prompt asking you to do, specifically? Also, how should you answer it so that you can give yourself a solid chance of getting accepted to the school?

In order to answer these two questions, let's take a look at the Northwestern essay prompt:

While other parts of your application give us a sense of who you are, we are also excited to hear more about how you see yourself engaging with the larger Northwestern community. In 300 words or less, help us understand how you might engage specific resources, opportunities, and/or communities here. We are curious about what these specifics are, as well as how they may enrich your time at Northwestern and beyond.

Your "Why Northwestern" essay can be a max of 300 words, making it rather short. (Most college essays are around 500-550 words.) This means that you'll need to be clear and concise in order to get your point across and ultimately be able to craft an effective response.

This Northwestern essay prompt isn't that different from other "why this college" essay prompts in that it really just wants you to answer one big question: how will Northwestern help you further your interests and achieve your goals?

Northwestern already has a general idea of how you can contribute to the school; now, it wants to know how it can help you .

The "Why Northwestern" essay is more of a "why us" essay than it is a "why you" essay because it's asking you to elaborate on why you're applying to Northwestern specifically, and how an education there will help you fulfill your academic, professional, and/or personal aspirations.

Here are some topics you could write about in your Northwestern supplement essay:

• Your experience visiting the campus and talking to current students or professors and why this experience helped you envision yourself feeling at home at Northwestern
• Specific professors you want to work with or classes you want to take and how they'll help you achieve your goals
• Specific activities, clubs, or events Northwestern offers that you wish to participate in and why these are important to you and your aspirations
• Any other specific resources the school offers, such as internship opportunities, career fairs or connections, lectures and talks, study abroad programs, etc., that you believe will benefit your intellectual and professional growth

If you're not sure what to write about for your Northwestern supplement essay, spend some time doing research. Start by perusing the official Northwestern website , paying particular attention to pages about any programs, courses, and/or majors you're interested in.

You can also browse other student-geared websites to see what people have to say about Northwestern, including what makes it unique.

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Real Northwestern Essay Examples + Analysis

Below are two real Northwestern essay examples for you to use as references when writing the "Why Northwestern" essay. The essays were both written by admitted applicants and should give you a good idea of what kinds of topics and styles you can use in your own essay.

Before we look at the two essays, though, be aware that both are answering an older, slightly different version of the "Why Northwestern" prompt, which was as follows:

What are the unique qualities of Northwestern—and of the specific undergraduate school to which you are applying—that make you want to attend the University? In what ways do you hope to take advantage of the qualities you have identified?

Northwestern Essay Example 1

As noted above, this first essay responds to an older version of the "Why Northwestern" essay prompt: it asked applicants to focus on the specific qualities that made the school unique and explain why these were ultimately appealing to them.

Since this student wanted to study in the Medill School of Journalism, he mainly writes about this facet of Northwestern.

At about 350 words, this essay is a little longer than what the current word limit allows (300 words), so just know that you'll have to write more concisely for your own essay.

Here's the sample:

One unquestioned pillar of journalism is the importance of accuracy in a journalist's work. So when my counselor at the National High School Institute, a current Northwestern journalism student, proclaimed, "Medill kicks your ass," I knew she had given my fellow cherubs and I the straight-up truth. Many exchanged nervous looks, and several immediately dismissed any chance of attending the Medill School of Journalism.

I surveyed the room, surprised at the fear hanging over the group. After all, we were 83 student journalists giving up a substantial portion of our summer to learn about and participate in the art.

Northwestern's reputation as a top-rated academic institution immediately drew me to the school. Specifically, the close connection with high-caliber professors was one quality that I originally found appealing even before my summer stay. I was also intrigued by the abundance of resources and facilities within the university and the city of Chicago. The journalism school has unmatched amenities and a rigorous curriculum designed to produce top-of-the-line journalists. But above all, Medill has a reputation as the best journalism school in the country.

Outside of the classroom, I would be the first to get involved with resources such as the Northwestern News Network, The Daily Northwestern , Northwestern Radio WNUR, and other student periodicals.

Northwestern's outstanding academics combined with an athletic program in the Big Ten Conference makes the university unique. It is certainly fun for everyone (except maybe for the Northwestern football team) to see the Buckeyes and Wolverines roll into Ryan Field every couple years.

I would be able to use my experience writing about the Detroit Lions to report on Northwestern teams. And by covering the lowly Lions, I would be prepared for any sort of losing season thrown at me.

But I am sure of one thing: I am attending college in order to learn, contribute, and to become the best journalist I can be. So while my friends may be having an easy, fun time at some school not named Medill, I'll be getting my ass kicked. And to tell the truth, I won't mind at all.

Here's what makes this "Why Northwestern" essay work:

• It's super specific. There's no doubt this essay was written for, and only for, Northwestern. The applicant goes into detail about the School of Journalism specifically and also mentions many unique opportunities he's interested in, such as working with The Daily Northwestern and the Northwestern News Network.
• It's got a lot of personality and humor. The applicant injects bits of humor with references to Medill "kicking his ass" and the Detroit Lions' losing streak. These quirky areas add tons of color to the essay and give balance to the student's more practical and academic reasons for applying to Northwestern.

Northwestern Essay Example 2

This second "Why Northwestern" essay example was written by an admitted student who chose to focus on extracurriculars at Northwestern and how the School of Engineering and Applied Science would benefit their desire to learn several skills at once. Once again, like the first essay, this essay is responding to the older version of the "Why Northwestern" prompt (given above).

Note that this essay is exactly 300 words long —the max length you are allowed to do for your own "Why Northwestern" essay.

Sweat drips onto my violin as we are filing into the auditorium.

I just arrived from a basketball game, I'm not nervous. However, that changes when I realize that I still have my basketball shoes on. And that I still have a plethora of edits to make in the newspaper room. And that I have three tests the next day.

Although it was stressful, I enjoyed every minute of juggling such diverse extracurriculars. I appreciated the many opportunities that my high school gave me, and took advantage of as many as I could handle. Thanks to these opportunities, I've fallen in love with various topics in different disciplines; all of which can be nurtured at Northwestern.

I'd be thrilled to pursue membership in the University Singers and the Philharmonia. It would be a great opportunity to learn from nationally recognized Emily Ellsworth with the Singers. I would also love to continue working with orchestral music in the Philharmonia.

The excellent humanities classes at the Weinberg School of Arts and Sciences also interest me. I'd love to pursue further education in subjects I was introduced to in high school, such as physics, psychology, and economics.

Finally, I believe that I am a perfect fit for the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science due to its unique philosophy. The idea of "Whole-Brain Engineering" meshes perfectly with my interest in a wide array of subjects and disciplines. I have always believed in equal emphasis on logic and creativity in problem-solving situations, and an education at McCormick (and Northwestern in general) will bolster my well-roundedness.

My Northwestern experience isn't only about reaching an engineering career, but growing as a person. Such balanced growth will allow me to succeed through analyzation and innovation, preparing me to have an impact on the world.

• It's got a creative, attention-grabbing opening. There's not a lot of space to write for this essay, yet this applicant manages to come up with a memorable hook that grabs you almost immediately and thrusts you into the story. Within just the first few lines, we learn—through showing, not telling—that the applicant plays basketball in addition to helping out with the school newspaper. While these activities have contributed to increased stress, they've also (and more importantly) led to a stronger sense of intellectual satisfaction.
• It's highly specific. Like the first sample essay, this essay uses clear examples and details to discuss what attracted the applicant to Northwestern in particular . These include things such as the University Singers and the McCormick School's philosophy concerning the importance of a well-rounded education.

How to Write a Great "Why Northwestern" Essay: 3 Tips

Once you have an idea about how you want to approach the Northwestern essay prompt and what you plan to write about, use the following three tips to help you produce a great essay.

#1: Focus On What Makes Northwestern Unique

One of the most important tips to remember when writing the Northwestern supplement essay is to concentrate on what makes Northwestern different from other colleges. Think about it: If Northwestern didn't offer anything unique, why would students want to apply there specifically?

Don't just say you want to go to Northwestern because it's super prestigious or because your mom went there and loved it. Think deeply about why you've chosen to apply to Northwestern over the thousands of other colleges in the country.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Does Northwestern offer the major(s) you're interested in pursuing? Is it well known for a specific program or field of study you want to enter?
• Are you interested in specific clubs, sports, or other extracurricular activities offered at Northwestern?
• Are there certain professors you wish to work with?
• What unique features of Northwestern do you like or think will be useful to you? For example, perhaps you're a fan of the school's close proximity to Chicago, where you'll have convenient access to research positions, internships, and other professional opportunities. Or maybe you love Northwestern's emphasis on small class sizes, or its impressive array of 100+ study abroad programs.
• Have current or former Northwestern students said anything about the school that made you want to apply there?

Although the Northwestern essay prompt is pretty open ended, take care to avoid writing about how prestigious, popular, and selective it is (after all, lots of schools are like this!) .

#2: Be Specific and Use Concrete Examples

You don't have a lot of space (just 300 words!) for the Northwestern essay, so try to write as clearly and specifically as possible. Use concrete examples to ground your story in reality and to make it clear to the admissions committee why applying to this school is so important to you.

For example, if you visited Northwestern, don't just say you went there and liked the campus—talk about something specific that happened to you and why this experience had such an impact on your decision to apply there.

Perhaps a professor said something encouraging to a student that made you realize how much you appreciated the supportive nature and sense of camaraderie there. Or maybe you noticed how earnestly students studied and could readily envision yourself doing homework alongside them.

In addition, if you plan to mention a specific professor you want to work with or a class you want to take, try to go beyond simple name-dropping. Instead, discuss why working with that professor or taking that class will help you attain your future goals, and why Northwestern is the only place you can actually do this.

#3: Polish It Up

As with any college essay, you need to spend some time editing and proofreading your "Why Northwestern" essay. Doing this will ensure that you're submitting a clean, polished, and overall well-written statement.

Here's what to do: once you finish writing a rough draft of your essay, put it away for at least a few days. Don't look at it during this time; you want to have a fresh perspective when you take it out again.

After some time has passed, take out your essay and begin to look for any glaring typos and grammar errors, as well as any areas you can expand, add, or delete. Pay attention to the organization and structure of your essay, too. Ask yourself: is the focus clear here? Am I being specific enough? Does the general flow make sense?

Once you've done this entire process a few times, give your essay to someone you trust, such as a mentor, teacher, parent, or older sibling. Have them look over your essay and offer comments on its topic, style, and structure. They should also check for technical errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Finally, make sure they read the Northwestern essay prompt so they can confirm that you're actually answering what's being asked of you.

What's Next?

Applying to Northwestern means you'll also have to submit an essay for either the Common App or Coalition App. Check out our guide to the current Common App essay prompts for tips on how to compose an unforgettable personal statement.

Freaking out about how to write a killer college essay? First, take a deep breath. Second, read our step-by-step guide on how to write a college essay and take a look at our analysis of 100+ real college essays to get a feel for what colleges want—and don't want—to read in an application.

Learn more about Northwestern, including its average test scores and average GPA, by reading its admissions requirements page .

Want to write the perfect college application essay? Get professional help from PrepScholar.

Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. We'll learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. At the end, you'll have a unique essay that you'll proudly submit to your top choice colleges.

Don't leave your college application to chance. Find out more about PrepScholar Admissions now :

Hannah received her MA in Japanese Studies from the University of Michigan and holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California. From 2013 to 2015, she taught English in Japan via the JET Program. She is passionate about education, writing, and travel.

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Writing Supplements

What is new this year about northwestern’s essay requirements, why did you make these changes to your essay requirements.

The changes we’ve made to our essays are designed to help students focus their responses on areas we consider most important to our holistic review: how their personal experiences have shaped various ways they see themselves engaging at Northwestern, and how their vision for college aligns with the resources and community they’ll find here. You may notice we no longer ask our “Why Northwestern” question. This question has always helped us learn these things, but not effectively in every case given how broadly we’ve framed it in the past. So this year we shifted away from the rather generic, “Why our college?” to a set of more specific (and we think more dynamic!) questions—ones we hope can help applicants learn more about Northwestern in the process of helping us better understand who they are, where they come from, and what matters to them. We also made the personal essay optional so students can focus their time on our writing supplements and, where it makes sense to do so, repurpose writing they’ve done for other colleges—including copy/pasting sections of their personal essay—to answer our required questions.

What are the new writing supplement prompts?

You can see our new writing supplements here .

Can I copy/paste sections of my personal essay to answer Northwestern’s new short answer questions?

Yes! We know you are busy—please feel free to repurpose writing you’ve done for other colleges—including copy/pasting sections of your personal essay—to answer our required questions. (We will also understand if there is repeated language between an optional personal essay and your required writing supplements.)

How many of the optional questions should I answer?

You may answer 0–2 optional questions. We do encourage students to answer at least one—again, we designed these questions to help you put your best foot forward in this application in helping us imagine how you see yourself engaging, learning, and/or growing at Northwestern.

Will answering more optional questions give my application an advantage?

No, responding to more optional questions will not carry any extra “weight” in the process. We’ll give equal consideration to students who answer 0, 1, or two optional questions.

Why are your short answers optional for students applying through QuestBridge?

The QuestBridge application contains more required writing samples than the Common Application or Coalition with Scoir application, offering candidates many opportunities to reflect on personal context, experiences, perspectives, background, identity, and their vision for college.

If I choose to submit my personal essay, will you still see it?

Yes! While we no longer require the personal essay with your Common Application or Coalition Application with Scoir, should you choose to submit one we will still be able to review it, just as we can any optional or supplemental application materials. 

6 Northwestern Essay Examples & Why Northwestern (2023)

Writing your Northwestern supplemental essays can be tricky, but they're important because your responses can have a big effect on your application chances.

Along with your personal statement essays , Northwestern offers students the chance to respond to a "Why Northwestern" essay prompt as part of its writing supplement.

In this article, I've gathered 6 essays that worked that helped get students admitted into Northwestern recently.

What is Northwestern University's Acceptance Rate?

Getting into Northwestern is quite difficult. Last year, a record 51,554 students applied to Northwestern.

And Northwestern had an overall admit rate of only 7%. Or in other words, about 1 in 13 students get accepted.

Northwestern University Acceptance Scattergram

To get into Northwestern, you've got to stand out from the crowd, which you can do by writing a strong writing supplement section.

What are the Northwestern Supplemental Prompts for 2022-23?

The Northwestern writing supplement for this year only asks one essay question of 300 words: Why Northwestern?

''Why Northwestern'' Statement :

While other parts of your application give us a sense of who you are, we are also excited to hear more about how you see yourself engaging with the larger Northwestern community.

In 300 words or less, help us understand how you might engage specific resources, opportunities, and/or communities here. We are curious about what these specifics are, as well as how they may enrich your time at Northwestern and beyond.

6 Northwestern University EssaysThatWorked

Here are 6 of the best Northwestern essays that worked, including example essays for the "Why Northwestern" statement prompt.

I've also included some great Common App essays from admitted Northwestern students.

Get inspired and start writing your "Why" statement with the help of these examples.

• Northwestern University Essay Example #1
• Northwestern University Essay Example #2
• Northwestern University Essay Example #3
• Northwestern University Essay Example #4
• Northwestern University Essay Example #5
• Northwestern University Essay Example #6

"Why Northwestern?" Essay Example #1

Prompt: "Why Northwestern" Statement:

In 300 words or less, help us understand how you might engage specific resources, opportunities, and/or communities here. We are curious about what these specifics are, as well as how they may enrich your time at Northwestern and beyond. (300 words max)

I love Northwestern’s academic flexibility, including the freedom of the curriculum to explore a variety of fields and the emphasis on cross-department study. Also, the quarter system provides a faster pace of learning and the opportunity to take more classes than a semester school.

Specifically, I am excited by the Spanish and Portuguese department and the classes on Hispanic and Lusophone culture, literature, and phonetics. For example, the accelerated Portuguese program is a perfect way to pick up the language at a faster pace using my prior knowledge of Spanish. I intend to supplement my language acquisition through the study abroad programs offered at the Fundação Getúlio Vargas in Rio de Janeiro or an affiliate program in Santiago, Chile. Additionally, the GESI program in Costa Rica is another intriguing opportunity through its intersectionality. It will allow me to combine a practical application of my language skills with studies in environmental conservation that I find a pressing and interesting issue. As an open-minded learner keen to forge links between academic fields of study, I believe I would be an excellent fit for the program.

I am also interested in Linguistics and pursuing undergraduate research or possibly undertaking the coterminal BA/MA program. The opportunity to link my research to a modern language of choice and investigate, for example, regional variation in Latin American Spanish or how Portuguese loanwords have infiltrated native Amazonian languages sounds fascinating and exciting.

Finally, the unique sense of community at Northwestern captivated me when I visited campus. The residential college system, the school spirit at Wildcat games, and the friendliness of the students I met, one of whom described the school as “the most welcoming place ever”, were all emblematic of this atmosphere for me. I think I will thrive in such a dynamic and inquisitive place.

"Why Northwestern?" Essay Example #2

The only reason I fear going for lunch in a hotel is probably because I wouldn’t choose between fried chicken and roasted meat and so is my dilemma over my college major. The multifaceted whole brain approach at McCormick, however, grants me the perfect opportunity to pursue my interest in Computer Science whilst acquiring the appropriate skills in entrepreneurship to a one day startup as an innovator.

As a NU computer scientist, I particularly look forward to Software Development EECS 473 – NUvention: Web, through which I would not only learn intricacies of Software development, but have related studies in real time software development in relation to market requirements in CS+X that would form a base for a startup. That would also provide a bridge for me to join Prof Todd Warren at Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation where I would specifically join the NUvention; Web + Media. Through this unparalleled program I would have the intimacy of working in a team with fellow wild cats towards an innovative business project. The results of which will be an introduction to the Northwestern Innovation and New Ventures Office (INVO) through which I look forward to gaining practical exposure in launching businesses to the general public.

Outside McCormick, I would be excited to pursue the Managerial analytics Certificate program at Kellogg to acquire intelligent business management skills, let off steam at SPARK exploring hacks while fostering entrepreneurial habits, and eventually joining preparations for the Benedictine Eagle Invite at the Henry Crown Sport’s Pavilion (SPAC) with the NU track club. I may not the best of singers, but I do have intense phases of music obsessions and where best to let it off than taking non major classes at Bienen and, joining one of the numerous Acapella groups as I await Armadillo day!

"Why Northwestern?" Essay Example #3

Why Northwestern? Because this introduction was so difficult to write; because I cannot possibly summarize these reasons in one introductory sentence. Simply put, my interests span across a wide range, and Northwestern has a place for them all.

As an enthusiastic programmer and advocate for positive minority representation in the media, I hope to combine both these interests and conduct research on the influence of media on society. To my delight as a prospective communications major, the School of Communication's research labs showcase project topics ranging from the depiction of STEM in media to improving digital communication. I look forward to taking advantage of the high-quality research, internship and even career opportunities offered to explore my ideas.

My multiple passions keep me creative and energetic, and I plan to continue pursuing them at Northwestern. With years of editing and writing experience for school publications under my belt, for instance, I hope to join the staff of Helicon and North by Northwestern . Last but not least is the constant school spirit and sense of inclusion present within campus. During my campus tour, each tour guide seemed genuinely excited to introduce prospective students to the school. As my particular tour guide described the quarter system and tradition of guarding and painting the rock with passion in her eyes, I knew that only at Northwestern could I find students as enthusiastic about the school itself as they are about their majors. I also spotted many students of color while visiting; as an Asian woman, Northwestern's focus on diversifying reassures me that not only will I not be judged for my background, but that I will get to meet students of all ethnicities and cultures.

College is a time of self-discovery, and I firmly believe I can see my dreams become reality at Northwestern.

Learn the secrets of successful top-20 college essays

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"Why Northwestern?" Essay Example #4

I felt the cold sheets beneath me and the beeping sounds of a monitor next to my bed, my chest moving up and down and my body sinking into the mattress. I opened my eyes and was greeted with a plastic surgeon holding the cyst that was once in the corner of my eye. Medicine, I decided, was my destiny.

Flash forward to 8th grade, the year I decided to read 100 books. Emerson, John Green, Ernest Cline--you name the author, I read them. I became instantly inspired to learn to write like the wonderful authors I had read. So, writing, I decided (maybe), was my destiny.

Wait--or was it medicine? Well, perhaps it can be both.

The thing I find most striking about Northwestern is its emphasis on the word “AND.” Northwestern students can love computer science AND music theory, poetry AND Latin History, journalism AND business--I can love science AND English. At Northwestern, my interests would not be hindered by strict and unwavering guidelines. Rather, they could be effortlessly streamlined and integrated into one another. I could go from ​PSYCH 361--Brain Damage and the Mind to ENG 206 - Reading and Writing Poetry to Carol Clayberger’s Lab to continue my extensive research on T-lymphocytes, similar to that I conducted at UPMC. I would be learning each level of the human psyche, communicating my thoughts through writing, and putting them into action through my research.

At Northwestern, I plan to take advantage of the various resources that would enable me to pursue my passions, find new ones, and combine them into one, pulling from both sides of my brain. I know that I am right for Northwestern and Northwestern is right for me because we have a mutual understanding of what education should look like--emphasis on “AND,” not “OR.”

"Why Northwestern?" Essay Example #5

Think Purple: Aspiring journalist dreams of being a Wildcat F​iled under ​A​dmissions​, ​Top Stories

After brochure browsing, website wandering, and campus canvassing what felt like hundreds of different schools, it took Daisy Conant exactly 32 seconds on the Northwestern University campus to realize she had found the one.

“Northwestern is undefinable in the best way, an addicting hub of intellectuality, creativity, and school spirit - something especially appealing to a football lover,” laughed Conant. “But what excites me most about NU is the opportunity to study at the Medill School of Journalism.”

A writer with hopes of becoming a foreign correspondent, Conant has always been drawn to people and their stories, especially those completely unfamiliar to herself and her experiences. Once learning she could start on day one at Medill acquiring investigative journalism experience writing an enterprise story and end on day 600 with a journalism residency and international experience already under her belt, she was hooked.

“Conducting groundbreaking research on the socioeconomic disparities in the CPS system for the Medill Justice Project, spending a semester abroad reporting on cultural crisis in Greece, interning at the Post - at Medill, my options are boundless,” remarked Conant. “I could explore the world of print news writing in-focuses for the Daily Northwestern, dabble in magazine editing laying out spreads for North by Northwestern, even try my hand at broadcast reporting for WNUR.”

A journalist at heart, Conant is fascinated with the intersections of other disciplines. As an NU student she would be free to engage her passions for international studies and business through outside concentrations in addition to investigative journalism, uncovering the adventures (and discovering the tenacious Wildcats) that lie between Evanston and the shores of Lake Michigan. “My story is just beginning,” said Conant. “And Northwestern is the perfect lede.”

Northwestern Essay Example #6

Prompt: Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (100-250 words)

I held my breath as my trembling fingers, made for the enter key, my eyes glued to the screen savoring every moment. In a split of a second, the results of my sleepless nights were imprinted on the screen.

>>>syntax error

I felt my eyes became watery but I quickly forged a smile convincing myself I wasn’t about to cry.

However disappointed I felt that moment, it wasn’t something new to me. I am not a natural programmer and I have failed more than a million times when running my codes. In fact, I have gotten used to failing, that anytime I get it right on the first attempt I assume I got lucky and I redo the code. Every time I get a syntax error I have eventually learned something new from the code. It’s at these moments that I have learnt more about my world.

Through coding, I have learnt to appreciate shortcomings in life as room for improvements. I have come to understand being raised in a camp in Chalbi dessert is a chance for me to have the first-hand experience of what needs to be done to make the world a better place. I stopped being disappointed I was born in a less tech-savvy country and seen it as an opportunity for me to create an impact with the much I have learnt. I understand with every syntax error, every life obstacle, I learn and take a step closer to a perfect code, achieving my dreams.

What Can You Learn From These Northwestern Essays?

These 6 Northwestern essays that worked show you exactly what it takes to write successful "Why Northwestern?" essays. Answering the "Why Northwestern" statement as best you can is the key to having a successful Northwestern application.

What did you think of these Northwestern essays?

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Blog > Essay Advice , Private University , Supplementals > How to Write the Northwestern Supplemental Essays (With Examples)

How to Write the Northwestern Supplemental Essays (With Examples)

Admissions officer reviewed by Ben Bousquet, M.Ed Former Vanderbilt University

Written by Alex McNeil, MA Admissions Consultant

Key Takeaway

How to write the northwestern supplemental essays.

With an acceptance rate hovering around 7%, getting into Northwestern isn’t easy. For 93% of students, it just doesn’t happen.

In the admissions process, so much seems out of your control. So what steps can you take to help you beat the odds?

One word: essays.

Like all highly-selective schools, Northwestern requires students to exceed expectations when it comes to factors like GPA, course rigor, extracurricular achievement, and letters of recommendation. You’ve worked diligently over the past three and a half years to cultivate each of these areas of your life. But at this point in the admissions process, there isn’t much left for you to control.

What you can control, however, are your essays. From your personal statement to the Northwestern supplemental essay, you have the chance to make your case for admission.

In this post, we’ll cover how to approach your Northwestern supplemental essay so you can increase your chance of getting in.

''Why Northwestern'' Statement

Let’s start by taking a look at the prompt itself. As far as supplemental prompts go, it’s pretty straightforward:

*While other parts of your application give us a sense of who you are, we are also excited to hear more about how you see yourself engaging with the larger Northwestern community.

In 300 words or less, help us understand how you might engage specific resources, opportunities, and/or communities here. We are curious about what these specifics are, as well as how they may enrich your time at Northwestern and beyond.*

Now we’ll break the prompt down, piece by piece.

Northwestern Supplemental Prompt Breakdown

As you already know if you’ve read our supplemental essay guide , the first step in writing any supplemental essay is breaking down what the prompt is asking you to do. The Northwestern supplemental essay is a classic “Why Us” supplemental prompt. While it may be straightforward, it does have a lot of parts. We’ll take a look at each.

In this short preface to the prompt, Northwestern tells us specifically that this supplemental essay should tell them “about how you see yourself engaging with the larger Northwestern community.” That means that your supplemental essay should focus specifically on engagement and community.

In 300 words or less, help us understand how you might engage specific resources, opportunities, and/or communities here.

This part tells us a few things that you’ll need to do.

#1: Your essay should be 300 or fewer words.

#2: The goal of your essay should be to help your admissions officers understand how you would engage with specific resources, opportunities, and/or communities at Northwestern.

#3: All of this means that you’ll need to do some research. Specifically, you’ll need to find particular resources, opportunities, and communities that you can see yourself being involved with if you were to attend Northwestern.

The “and/or” part of the prompt also tells you that you can choose to focus on only one of these areas, or you can write about two to three of them.

We are curious about what these specifics are, as well as how they may enrich your time at Northwestern and beyond.

The last sentence of the prompt gives us a couple more vital details.

#1: We learn that you need to explicitly state the specific parts of campus life you want to engage with. Sentences like, “I’m looking forward to participating in the academic community at Northwestern” just won’t cut it. They want specifics.

#2: We also learn that your focus should be on enrichment, during your time as a student as well as your life after you graduate.

In short, all of this combined tells us that our Northwestern supplemental essay should…

a) be 300 words or fewer.

b) reference specific resources, opportunities, and/or communities that you can engage with.

c) discuss how these specific parts of campus would enrich your life as a student and after you graduate.

Now that we’ve broken down the prompt and know what’s expected of us, it’s time to discuss how to do effective research that will help you write the best supplemental essay possible.

How to Do Northwestern School Research

We always recommend that you start by researching the school’s values. You can do this by googling the school’s motto and mission statement.

A simple google search of “Northwestern” + “Motto” (or “Mission Statement”) will tell you everything you need to know.

From this search, we learn that Northwestern’s motto is, "Whatsoever things are true.” And the mission statement is, “Northwestern is committed to excellent teaching, innovative research and the personal and intellectual growth of its students in a diverse academic community.”

Now we can incorporate ideas like truth, teaching, innovation, research, personal and academic growth, diversity, and academic community into our essay.

Once you’ve gotten ahold of the values, you’ll need to find the specific details the prompt asks of you.

To begin, it’s a good idea to start with your academic area of interest. Poke around on the website and look for faculty members, syllabi, course offerings, research labs, past research projects, internships, and academic groups or clubs. All of these areas are rich with details and connections that you can draw from in your essays.

Once you have a couple of those pinned down, take a look at any relevant extracurricular offerings you can find. Focus specifically on activities you’ve been involved with in high school and are looking forward to continuing in college. Alternatively, you can look for activities that interest you that you haven’t yet had access to as a high school student.

After gathering your details, feel free to start writing.

3 Tips for Writing the Northwestern Supplemental Essay

Writing supplemental essays is hard. Here are three tips that can help as you navigate your response to the Northwestern prompt.

Find specific details that connect with your own background and goals.

Recall from our supplemental guide that the goal of supplemental essays is to convey school fit. That means showing admissions officers that you belong on campus and in the classroom of the school you’re applying to.

The easiest way to do this is to connect things you’ve already done—classes, accomplishments, particular academic goals—with what is offered at a school.

If you’re accomplished in robotics and have an interest in disabilities studies, then maybe you reference the Assistive and Rehabilitation Robotics Lab . If you love volunteering at your local historical society, then bringing up the Leopold Fellowship might be a good idea.

Whatever you bring to the table, try to select specific academic and community resources that allow you to seamlessly connect your background with what your life would look like at Northwestern. Doing this will show admissions officers that you’re a natural fit.

Remember that you and your story should still be at the heart of your essay.

Although supplemental essays aren’t typically as personal or vulnerable as your personal statement , that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be front and center. The point of a supplemental is, after all, to show admissions officers why you are a good fit for the school.

So as you’re writing about school resources or values, remember to describe how they relate to your own story and values.

Don’t neglect the very last part of the prompt: “enrich your time at Northwestern and beyond.”

One of the easiest mistakes to make when writing any supplemental essay is to accidentally ignore part of the prompt. In Northwestern’s case, this last bit at the end can slip through the cracks.

Even though this detail is at the end, it’s actually one of the most important parts of the prompts. Admissions officers at Northwestern aren’t just interested in knowing which resources and opportunities are relevant to you. They want to know how they’ll make you a better student and person, and they’re curious how you think access to these resources will shape your future.

This is a time to focus on your academic and career goals and plans. Make a case that Northwestern’s resources are the best way to get you where you want and need to go.

Northwestern Supplemental Essay Example + Annotations

Before my seventh birthday, the only people who could understand what I said were immediate family members((Attention-grabbing hook.) . Because of complex factors like gender and socioeconomic status, I didn’t get the speech therapy I needed until second grade. This delay impacted my academic and social development, and it’s one of the main reasons I want to take my secondary education in a Northwestern Direction((Clever connection to a NW-based slogan. Shows research.)) .

It wasn’t until I happened upon the Human Development in Context((Specific connection to a Northwestern academic offering.)) major that I realized how interconnected my speech delays were with other intersections of my identity. My teachers and parents thought that I was just shy, and my school didn’t have adequate speech resources to help me regardless. I’ve already learned so much from Northwestern’s offerings, and I am eager to connect with faculty and students to learn even more.

As a Human Development in Context major, I would be able to think multi-dimensionally about how human development intersects with social systems. Participating in Dr. Haase’s Lifespan Development Lab would help me develop my research skills to prepare me for graduate school, and working in the Pediatric Development Center for my practicum internship would set me off on my career helping kids who are just like me.((Explicit connection to the prompt -- very important!))

Courses like Language Development and Usage and Culture, Language, & Identity will advance my interdisciplinary interests. And outside the classroom, participating in clubs like Project Sunshine and the Undergraduate Psychology Association or living in the GREEN house will help me connect with like-minded friends.

Out of everything, what excites me most about the classroom experience at Northwestern is the “ rigorous but empathetic((Another values-based connection.)) ” approach to education. Because of my speech background, I haven’t always felt at home in the classroom. But with empathy and rigor, I know that whatsoever things are true, I’ll be there learning alongside my classmates and professors.

(Looking for more supplemental examples? Check out our college essay examples post.)

Key Takeaways

No matter how stellar a student and person you are, applying to Northwestern is always a gamble. It’s the reality of the numbers.

But writing your essays, especially the supplemental, strategically can set you apart from the 93% of applicants who end up in the “deny” pile.

Focus on answering the prompt, doing thorough and values-based school research, and weaving in your own story.

You’ve got this! If you want more Vanderbilt application strategy, hop on over to our Northwestern Common Data Set post and How to Get into Northwestern guide.

And if you're looking for even more essay help, consider joining the Essay Academy for exclusive access to a comprehensive college essay writing video course.

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How to Write Northwestern University Supplemental Essays

Reviewed by:

Rohan Jotwani

Former Admissions Committee Member, Columbia University

Reviewed: 2/29/24

Northwestern University is a popular addition to any college list. If you're ready to enjoy the vistas Lake Michigan offers, get ready to write the Northwestern supplemental essay. 

Northwestern University is a popular school for many applicants due to its location near Chicago and its focus on interdisciplinary studies. Writing a compelling essay is a pivotal step for showing your fit with the school's values. 

With a rigorous Core Curriculum , the Northwestern essays demonstrate to the admissions committees why you're an excellent fit for their school. It shows that you've done the research necessary to understand how its course offerings mesh with your educational goals. 

This article provides tips for tackling Northwestern's supplemental essays, along with examples of essays that were successful. Crafting the perfect essay for Northwestern doesn't have to be difficult - read on to learn how to write a masterful essay and get into Northwestern ! 

Northwestern Supplemental Essay Prompts 2023-2024

You'll need to write a personal statement as part of the Common Application or Coalition Application which should be a direct response to this prompt below. Your response should be no more than 300 words. 

Northwestern Personal Statement Prompt

“We want to be sure we’re considering your application in the context of your personal experiences: What aspects of your background, your identity, or your school, community, and/or household settings have most shaped how you see yourself engaging in Northwestern’s community, be it academically, extracurricularly, culturally, politically, socially, or otherwise?”

Additionally, you have the option of responding to one or two of these optional Northwestern essay prompts. While it is not required, you’re highly encouraged to write at least one .

“Painting “The Rock” is a tradition at Northwestern that invites all forms of expression—students promote campus events or extracurricular groups, support social or activist causes, show their Wildcat spirit (what we call “Purple Pride”), celebrate their culture, and more. What would you paint on The Rock, and why?”

“Northwestern fosters a distinctively interdisciplinary culture. We believe discovery and innovation thrive at the intersection of diverse ideas, perspectives, and academic interests. Within this setting, if you could dream up an undergraduate class, research project, or creative effort (a start-up, a design prototype, a performance, etc.), what would it be? Who might be some ideal classmates or collaborators?”

“Community and belonging matter at Northwestern. Tell us about one or more communities, networks, or student groups you see yourself connecting with on campus.”

“Northwestern’s location is special: on the shore of Lake Michigan, steps from downtown Evanston, just a few miles from Chicago. What aspects of our location are most compelling to you, and why?”

“Northwestern is a place where people with diverse backgrounds from all over the world can study, live, and talk with one another. This range of experiences and viewpoints immeasurably enriches learning. How might your individual background contribute to this diversity of perspectives in Northwestern’s classrooms and around our campus?”

How to Write Each Essay Prompt For Northwestern

Writing each essay can be difficult, so we’ve created an outline on how to tackle each one. Below, you’ll find an analysis of each prompt and tips on how to best write your essay.

How to Write Northwestern Supplemental Essay #1 + Analysis and Tips

"Painting “The Rock” is a tradition at Northwestern that invites all forms of expression—students promote campus events or extracurricular groups, support social or activist causes, show their Wildcat spirit (what we call “Purple Pride”), celebrate their culture, and more. What would you paint on The Rock, and why?"

Analysis of Prompt #1: This creative prompt allows applicants to demonstrate their interests, values, background, and how they would engage with campus life at Northwestern. It reveals what matters most to applicants.

Tip #1 : Choose a design that ties to your background, interests, or values not already showcased elsewhere in your application. Explain the deeper meaning and importance behind what you would paint.

Tip #2 : Use vivid imagery and details to help the admissions officers visualize and understand your rock design and its significance to you.

Tip #3 : Explicitly connect your idea for the rock to how you envision contributing to campus life at Northwestern as a student. Show your enthusiasm for engaging with the community.

Tip #4 : If applicable, relate your rock design to your intended major, academic interests, or future goals to showcase fit with Northwestern's offerings.

Tip #5 : Brainstorm creative ways to get your message across visually that would grab attention and interest from the Northwestern community.

How to Write Northwestern Supplemental Essay #2 + Analysis and Tips

"Northwestern fosters a distinctively interdisciplinary culture. We believe discovery and innovation thrive at the intersection of diverse ideas, perspectives, and academic interests. Within this setting, if you could dream up an undergraduate class, research project, or creative effort (a start-up, a design prototype, a performance, etc.), what would it be? Who might be some ideal classmates or collaborators?"

Analysis of Prompt #2: This prompt allows applicants to demonstrate creativity, passion, and knowledge of Northwestern's interdisciplinary focus. It's a chance to show original thinking and innovative ideas.

Tip #1 : Choose a unique yet feasible topic at the intersection of multiple disciplines. Avoid overly broad or already offered topics. Explain what would be explored.

Tip #2 : Show in-depth knowledge of the topic and Northwestern's ability to support the idea through collaborations across schools and disciplines. Name specific programs or professors.

Tip #3 : Describe what students and collaborators could gain from this experience and why it would be impactful. Use vivid language that gets the reader excited about the idea.

Tip #4 : Emphasize how the class or project aligns with and furthers your academic interests and future aspirations. Relate it to your major or career goals.

Tip #5 : Explain why you are the ideal student to make this idea a reality by citing your background knowledge, skills, or relevant experience with the topic or project type.

How to Write Northwestern Supplemental Essay #3 + Analysis and Tips

"Community and belonging matter at Northwestern. Tell us about one or more communities, networks, or student groups you see yourself connecting with on campus."

Analysis of Prompt #3: This essay reveals applicants' interests and goals not shown elsewhere. It demonstrates the desire to be actively engaged in campus life.

Tip #1 : Choose a student organization, club, or campus community tied to background, values, or goals not already discussed in other essays.

Tip #2 : Convey why involvement with this group deeply matters to you and how it would lead to personal growth.

Tip #3 : Describe specific leadership roles, events, or initiatives you want to participate in and your potential contributions.

Tip #4 : Explain how belonging to this community would allow you to make an impact on campus aligned with your aspirations.

Tip #5 : If relevant, relate the group back to your intended major, academic discipline, or future career goals.

How to Write Northwestern Supplemental Essay #4 + Analysis and Tips

"Northwestern’s location is special: on the shore of Lake Michigan, steps from downtown Evanston, just a few miles from Chicago. What aspects of our location are most compelling to you, and why?"

Analysis of Prompt #4: This essay reveals applicants' academic and professional goals and how Northwestern's location supports those interests. It demonstrates knowledge of the resources available nearby.

Tip #1 : Research opportunities in Chicago related to your academic discipline or career aspirations. Explain which specific options excite you.

Tip #2 : Provide examples of how you would take advantage of the location based on your goals and enrichment opportunities that inspire you.

Tip #3 : Describe any previous experiences that spark your interest in engaging with Chicago resources or motivate you to explore the location.

Tip #4 : Relate location details back to specific Northwestern offerings such as courses, faculty, or programs that would complement or further these goals.

Tip #5 : Convey genuine enthusiasm and personal reasons why proximity to Chicago appeals rather than just facts about the city itself.

How to Write Northwestern Supplemental Essay #5 + Analysis and Tips

"Northwestern is a place where people with diverse backgrounds from all over the world can study, live, and talk with one another. This range of experiences and viewpoints immeasurably enriches learning. How might your individual background contribute to this diversity of perspectives in Northwestern’s classrooms and around our campus?”

Analysis of Prompt #5: This essay reveals applicants' academic and professional goals and how Northwestern's location supports those interests. It demonstrates knowledge of the resources available nearby.

Tip #1 : Consider all aspects of your identity or background that aren't highlighted elsewhere, including cultural, ethnic, religious, geographic, socioeconomic, or personal experiences.

Tip #2 : Explain specific viewpoints, values, or insights your life experiences have instilled in you that shape your perspectives and provide examples.

Tip #3 : Emphasize what you can positively contribute to classroom discussions and campus life by sharing these diverse perspectives with others.

Tip #4 : Describe how your background has made you more understanding and equipped to connect across differences.

Tip #5 : Conclude by reiterating why your diversity of perspectives would enrich learning and dialogue at Northwestern.

Examples of Northwestern Supplemental Essays That Worked

The following essays were written by successful applicants who were admitted to Northwestern University. We provide feedback explaining why each essay effectively demonstrated the applicant's fit with Northwestern.

Sample Essay #1

“I would paint a butterfly on “The Rock”. This choice is deeply rooted in my identity as an Indigenous person, where the butterfly holds profound symbolism of transformation and metamorphosis.

In Indigenous cultures, the butterfly represents not only physical transformation but also spiritual growth and renewal. It embodies the idea that change is a natural part of life and that through struggle and perseverance, one can emerge stronger and more beautiful. This symbolism resonates with my own journey and the experiences of many Indigenous individuals who have faced adversity, colonization, and the challenges of preserving their cultural heritage.

Painting a butterfly on "The Rock" would not only celebrate my culture but also serve as a reminder to the Northwestern community of the importance of embracing change and transformation. It would symbolize the resilience of indigenous peoples and the beauty that can emerge from the process of personal and collective growth.

Moreover, the butterfly's presence on "The Rock" would promote awareness and appreciation of Indigenous cultures, fostering a sense of unity and understanding within the Northwestern community. It would encourage conversations about the significance of Indigenous symbolism and the importance of recognizing the contributions of Indigenous peoples to our shared society.”

Why Essay #1 Worked

This essay uses the symbolism of the butterfly in Indigenous cultures to convey the writer's personal growth and tie it to promoting cross-cultural understanding at Northwestern. The vivid explanation allows the admissions officers to visualize the rock design and shows the applicant's passion for celebrating their heritage.

Sample Essay #2

“My dream project would be groundbreaking undergraduate research aimed at exploring the potential of homeopathic remedies in breast cancer treatment. Having tragically lost three family members to cancer, I am fervently driven to investigate alternative, less invasive approaches to combat this devastating disease. Witnessing their suffering and the toll that harsh medicines took on their health has underscored the urgency of exploring gentler alternatives.

My ideal research project would assemble a diverse team of students from various academic backgrounds, including biology, chemistry, complementary medicine, and patient care.  

We would analyze the impact of homeopathic remedies on cancer cells, patient well-being, and quality of life. Additionally, we would collaborate with oncologists, herbalists, and holistic healthcare practitioners to bridge the gap between conventional medicine and alternative therapies. Together, we could unlock the untapped potential of nature's medicine cabinet.

This research project not only aligns with my personal passion but also exemplifies Northwestern's interdisciplinary ethos by bringing together students and experts from diverse fields to tackle a critical issue. We would strive to provide hope and more compassionate, effective treatment options for those battling breast cancer while minimizing the harm that traditional treatments can inflict on their bodies.”

Why Essay #2 Worked

This essay outlines an ambitious yet feasible interdisciplinary research project aligning with Northwestern's values. It demonstrates the writer's interest in collaborating across fields to make an impact. The deeply personal motivation for studying cancer treatments also allows the essay to stand out.

Sample Essay #3

“I eagerly anticipate joining the pre-med community at Northwestern, a vibrant and supportive network where my passion for medicine will find a nurturing home. This community embodies my aspirations and values, as it fosters collaboration, learning, and a shared commitment to healthcare.

Within the pre-med community, I envision forging meaningful connections with fellow aspiring healthcare professionals who, like me, are driven by a deep desire to make a positive impact on people's lives. Together, we will navigate the challenging path toward medical school, sharing experiences, supporting one another through rigorous coursework, and collectively striving for excellence.

Furthermore, I am excited about the potential to engage in healthcare-related volunteer opportunities and research projects that Northwestern offers. These experiences will not only enrich my academic journey but also deepen my connection to the broader healthcare community on campus.

In the pre-med community, I see myself not only as a student but as an active participant in a collective mission to contribute to the well-being of others. Northwestern's commitment to community and belonging aligns perfectly with my vision for my pre-medical journey, and I eagerly anticipate becoming a part of this inspiring network.”

Why Essay #3 Worked

This essay conveys the applicant's alignment with Northwestern's tight-knit campus community. It spotlights their passion for medicine and desire to support fellow pre-med students. The emphasis on participating in healthcare-related activities shows their commitment to active engagement.

Sample Essay #4

“Growing up in Chicago, Lake Michigan was a place of cherished memories. My father and I would spend countless hours fishing on its shores, forging a bond that would shape my values and dreams.

As I embark on my own academic journey at Northwestern, I find myself drawn to this beautiful shoreline, which symbolizes both my roots and my aspirations.

My father, a dedicated Northwestern alumnus, left a lasting impact on my life. In his final moments, he expressed a profound sense of incompleteness. His legacy has become my driving force. Coming to Northwestern and being near Lake Michigan is, for me, a way to complete his mission. I aim to study political science and eventually law, follow in his advocacy footsteps, and work towards helping others in a way that he felt he couldn't.

This location is not just where I come from; it's where I am actively choosing to build my future and honor my father's memory. Northwestern's setting connects me to my biggest inspiration and reminds me of the potential for positive change in the world, making it the perfect place for my academic and personal growth.”

Why Essay #4 Worked

This essay uses vivid imagery and personal connections to showcase the significance of Northwestern's location. Linking their goals to continue a family legacy gives deeper meaning to studying there. It aligns location with values.

Sample Essay #5

“Growing up in foster care, I always had a suitcase packed by the door. This constant state of preparedness, always getting ready to move to a new place, made it challenging to ever feel truly at home. Yet, Northwestern represents the kind of community I've longed for—a place where individuals with diverse backgrounds from around the world come together to learn and connect.

Throughout my life, adaptability and resilience have been my constant companions. I've learned to embrace change, connect with people from various walks of life, and navigate through different environments.

This background has taught me the value of empathy, understanding, and the significance of creating a sense of belonging for others, as it's something I often yearned for during my journey through foster care. My experiences have honed my ability to bridge gaps, mediate conflicts, and foster connections among individuals from diverse backgrounds.

My story serves as a reminder that diversity goes beyond cultural or ethnic differences, encompassing a wide range of life experiences that can enrich our collective learning and strengthen our sense of community.”

Why Essay #5 Worked

This essay offers a compelling background story and emphasizes the applicant's ability to connect across differences. It underscores their unique perspectives that would enrich campus diversity. The focus on empathy and community is well-aligned.

Get More Sample Essays Here!

The prep doesn’t stop there. View our database of over 190 essay examples from some of the top schools. 

Still have questions about Northwestern essays? We’ve got you covered! Check out the section below for answers to some of the most frequently asked questions. If you’re looking for a complete Northwestern application guide, check out our college guides directory .

1. How Many Supplemental Essays Does Northwestern Require?

Northwestern requires one 300-word supplemental essay and also provides four additional 100-word essay prompts that are optional but highly encouraged. At least one of the optional essays is recommended.

2. When Are Northwestern Supplemental Essays Due?

The Northwestern supplemental essays are due at the same time as the rest of the Northwestern application. Typical deadlines are January 1 for early decision and January 5 for regular decision.

3. How important are the supplemental essays for Northwestern?

The Northwestern supplemental essays are very important for the admissions decision. Along with your Common App essay, they allow you to explain why Northwestern is the right school for you and how you will positively contribute to campus life. Put time into crafting a thoughtful, well-written response.

4. Will Northwestern Always Have the Same Supplemental Essay Prompt? 

No supplemental essay at any college is set in stone. Schools can change their supplemental essay prompts each cycle, but they usually revolve around the same themes. 

5. Is Northwestern’s Activity Chart Another Supplemental Essay? 

No, but it is another mandatory piece of your application. The activity chart is your opportunity to describe your extracurricular activities in detail and include their depth and scope. 

Final Thoughts

Northwestern's supplemental essay gives you a chance to showcase your fit beyond test scores and grades. Research the school to find specific connections between your goals and Northwestern's offerings. Use vivid examples and anecdotes to illustrate what makes you a great match for the Northwestern community. With thoughtful responses, you can boost your chances of admission.

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Northwestern Supplemental Essays 2023-24 – Prompts and Advice

September 6, 2023

With an acceptance rate of just 7% for the Class of 2027, Northwestern University is very much an “Ivy-equivalent” school. This is true both in terms of quality academics and selectivity. Last fall, incoming Wildcats almost universally placed within the top 10% of their respective high school class. They also boasted average SAT scores in the 1470 range. In 2023-24, even high schoolers bringing superior credentials to the table need to realize that the majority of the other 52,000+ other applicants can demonstrate comparable levels of achievement. Therefore, applicants need to look for other ways to separate themselves from the pack. And that brings us to the Northwestern supplemental essay prompts.

 (Want to learn more about How to Get Into Northwestern University? Visit our blog entitled:  How to Get Into Northwestern University: Admissions Data and Strategies   for all of the most recent admissions data as well as tips for gaining acceptance.)

In addition to one required essay prompt, Northwestern also gives applicants the opportunity to respond to at least one (and up to two) optional prompts. Essentially, every applicant has three opportunities to stand out in the eyes of admissions officers and showcase what makes them uniquely qualified for admission. Below you will find Northwestern’s supplemental prompts for the 2023-24 admissions cycle along with our advice on how to pen winning compositions.

2023-2024 Northwestern Supplemental Essays

Prompt #1 (required for all applicants).

We want to be sure we’re considering your application in the context of your personal experiences: What aspects of your background, your identity, or your school, community, and/or household settings have most shaped how you see yourself engaging in Northwestern’s community, be it academically, extracurricularly, culturally, politically, socially, or otherwise? (fewer than 300 words)

Northwestern is inviting you to share more about your background/identity/community through the lens of how that will impact your experience at the university. Take note of the wide-open nature of this prompt. You are essentially invited to talk about any of the following topics:

• A perspective you hold
• An experience/challenge you had
• A community you belong to
• Your cultural background
• Your religious background
• Your family background
• Your sexual orientation or gender identity

Although this prompt’s open floor plan may feel daunting, a good tactic is to first consider what has already been communicated within your Common App personal statement and activities list. What important aspect(s) of yourself have not been shared (or sufficiently discussed)? The admissions officer reading your essay is hoping to connect with you through your written words, so—within your essay’s reflection—be open, humble, thoughtful, inquisitive, emotionally honest, mature, and/or insightful about what you learned and how you grew.

Northwestern Supplemental Essays (Continued)

You’ll then need to discuss how your background/identity/experiences have influenced your academic, social, or extracurricular college goals. As such, think about what you learned and how it relates to one of the previously mentioned areas. For example, perhaps growing up in Northern California has made you passionate about post-wildfire ecosystem restoration, which you hope to pursue further through Northwestern’s environmental science program. Or, perhaps your experience as a poll worker has made you interested in NU Votes , or the discrimination you watched your sibling face after revealing their gender identity has informed your desire to be part of organizations like the Rainbow Alliance .

To that end, be sure you address how you will take advantage of Northwestern’s immense resources both inside and/or outside of the classroom by citing specific academic programs , professors , research opportunities , special opportunities , study abroad programs , student-run organizations , etc.

Prompt #2 (Optional but recommended)

Most “optional” essays are not truly optional, and Northwestern’s new essay prompts are no different. Think of it this way: if you’re truly interested in attending Northwestern, you have two more incredibly valuable opportunities to further demonstrate that fit. Take advantage of them!

The following questions are optional, but we encourage you to answer at least one and no more than two. Please respond in fewer than 200 words per question:

Painting “The Rock” is a tradition at Northwestern that invites all forms of expression—students promote campus events or extracurricular groups, support social or activist causes, show their Wildcat spirit (what we call “Purple Pride”), celebrate their culture, and more. What would you paint on The Rock, and why?

Out of everything on this Earth, what makes you tick? What keeps you up at night? What issue could you talk about or debate for hours? If you could address one problem in the world, large or small, what would it be? What do you love to do? Do you have a treasured cultural tradition that you’d love to share with others? If you are answering at least one of these questions, you are on the right track with this essay.

Northwestern fosters a distinctively interdisciplinary culture. We believe discovery and innovation thrive at the intersection of diverse ideas, perspectives, and academic interests. Within this setting, if you could dream up an undergraduate class, research project, or creative effort (a start-up, a design prototype, a performance, etc.), what would it be? Who might be some ideal classmates or collaborators?

Firstly, you’ll want to select a course centered around a topic about which you are an expert or hope to become an expert. The admissions reader is well aware that you are a teenager and not someone who has yet earned a Ph.D. Therefore, being a self-taught, informal expert is perfectly fine. You’ll then want to explain “why”—why will (or should) your passion be made relevant to a wider audience? And who would you want to work with along the way? These classmates and collaborators could be peers, mentors, or even guest speakers. Here are a few additional tips to keep in mind:

• Given the prompt’s wording, quality answers should involve the intersection of two or more disciplines.
• Course creation essays can and should reveal your ability to connect and synthesize information.
• Make sure that the topic of your course is not overly broad or already offered. The topic should not be akin to a 101 college course like Intro to Psychology…be creative!

Community and belonging matter at Northwestern. Tell us about one or more communities, networks, or student groups you see yourself connecting with on campus.

Keep in mind that Northwestern has already seen the President’s Volunteer Service Award and the impressive number of hours you volunteered at multiple nonprofit organizations. They know that you have been an active member of your high school/local community. The admissions committee now desires to understand precisely how you will contribute to  their  community of 8,000+ undergraduate students. Highlighting the link between your past efforts and future aims is critical here. For example, if you dedicated many hours to increasing your high school’s mental health support services, it will be more impactful when you now express your commitment to joining Northwestern’s Active Minds organization.

The strongest Northwestern community essays will show evidence of meaningful school-specific research. This research process will actually give you a better idea of how you would sincerely like to become engaged at each prospective school on your list. Admissions officers will appreciate a Northwestern-centric answer far more than a generic (often recycled from app to app) response. Moreover, given the word count, you’ll be able to produce the strongest response if you focus on just one or two specific aspects of your identity and perspective.

Northwestern’s location is special: on the shore of Lake Michigan, steps from downtown Evanston, just a few miles from Chicago. What aspects of our location are most compelling to you, and why?

If you choose to answer this question, know that you’ll need to think very deeply about your answer. Admissions officers are going to receive scores of responses about the number of opportunities available in Chicago, generalities about living in a suburb of a major city, and proximity to famous regional landmarks. As such, if Northwestern’s location feels particularly important to you, dig deep as to why . What location-specific experiences will you be able to have at Northwestern that you won’t be able to have anywhere else?

Northwestern is a place where people with diverse backgrounds from all over the world can study, live, and talk with one another. This range of experiences and viewpoints immeasurably enriches learning. How might your individual background contribute to this diversity of perspectives in Northwestern’s classrooms and around our campus?

This prompt asks you to not only share a particular life experience but also describe why that experience will enable you to contribute to Northwestern in general. Essentially, it’s asking you to take your essay’s reflection one step further—you’ll need to share why the experience you’ve chosen has impacted you as well as why/how you believe it will allow you to positively impact the Northwestern community.

First, choose a key aspect of your experiences or background that reveals something deep and meaningful about you. (Although you could choose more than one, we’d advise against it, given that you only have 200 words in which to respond.) As you brainstorm, consider the following avenues:

• Your role in your family.
• Your role in your social group.
• A challenge you’ve faced.
• A formative experience or realization.
• Core values and beliefs.
• Important aspects of your upbringing.
• Cultural, religious, community influence.

Second, you’ll need to describe both personal and future impact. Make sure that your answer reveals something about how you will live out Northwestern’s values or contribute to a specific academic/social community.

Finally, this prompt is quite similar to the required prompt about background and identity (see above), so if you choose this option, be sure you’re not repeating yourself in any way. If you’ve already said everything you need to say about your background in the required prompt, you’ll likely want to choose a different option.

How important are the Northwestern supplemental essays?

The essays (including the Common App essay) are viewed as “important” to the Northwestern applicant evaluation process. The other factors that are also considered “important” are: recommendations, extracurricular activities, talent/ability, and character/personal qualities. The only four factors viewed as being more important than the essays are GPA, test scores, class rank, and the rigor of one’s curriculum.

Want personalized essay assistance?

If you are interested in working with one of College Transitions’ experienced and knowledgeable essay coaches as you craft your Northwestern supplemental essay, we encourage you to  get a quote  today.

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Command Education Guide

How to write northwestern university’s essays, updated for 2023-2024, northwestern’s main essay:.

The following question is required for all applicants. Please respond in 300 words or fewer: “We want to be sure we’re considering your application in the context of your personal experiences: What aspects of your background, your identity, or your school, community, and/or household settings have most shaped how you see yourself engaging in Northwestern’s community, be it academically, extracurricularly, culturally, politically, socially, or otherwise?” (300 words or less)*

Explanation:

The Northwestern University Supplement question provides you with the opportunity to showcase who you are to admissions officers as well as why you want to apply to Northwestern. Your response will help admissions officers understand your lived experiences and how those experiences will impact your time and decisions as a student. It would be useful to break this question down into two parts. First, reflect on your experiences and values to answer the question:

What aspects of your background, identity, school, community, and/or household settings have most shaped you?

Then, reflect on what you want to study and why Northwestern, specifically, is a good fit for you. As you answer, try to identify any connections between your values and your intended major. That will be your answer for the second question:

How will that impact what you do at Northwestern (academically, extracurricularly, culturally, politically, socially, etc.).

The more you can tailor your genuine interests and experiences to the specific opportunities and resources that Northwestern offers, the stronger your response will be. As you identify resources, you want to cite opportunities unique to Northwestern. Bear in mind that it is more impactful to cite centers, professors, and other unique opportunities you can find only at Northwestern, than generic clubs offered at many universities.

“Trust me. Things just don’t make sense here…”

The wisdom and experience of my fellow HOPE Florida volunteers made it clear that there was nothing we could do to get Wanda enrolled in SNAP benefits since she didn’t have a permanent address. She was homeless – of course she didn’t have an address! There has to be a workaround. SNAP is designed to support low-income individuals to get access to nutrition.

Addressing and supporting the houseless community has been my passion since middle school. In my community, intersections are full of individuals asking for food. What began as storing and distributing snack kits from my parents’ glove compartment has turned into weekly volunteering and now, hopefully, systemic change.

Studying Learning and Organizational Change (LOC) at the School of Education and Social Policy will empower me to analyze diverse organizations, creating a personal framework for effective work in the public realm. The curriculum’s unique combination of learning sciences paired with business management and leadership development will allow me to better handle inevitable change and challenges.

As a teenager who has witnessed disparities within my own community, I’m committed to using my academic and extracurricular pursuits towards meaningful change. Education enables action, and Northwestern’s commitment to student-experience resonates with me. Through my Junior Year Practicum, I will have the opportunity to gain first-hand professional experience and make an impact as an undergraduate student receiving feedback from my professor.

Through The Community Engagement Certificate, I will take courses such as Social Policymaking and Implementation, where I will analyze the complexities of public policy and present a policy brief proposing alternative eligibility for federal benefits.

I am dedicated to serving marginalized communities. I am certain that Northwestern’s dynamic curriculum, resources, and opportunities will allow me to realize my dream of making an impact.

Northerwestern’s Five Question Choices

The following questions are optional, but we encourage you to answer at least one and no more than two . Please respond in fewer than 200 words per question:

Question 1:

First, we recommend Googling “The Rock,” so you can visualize it! Given the public nature of painting it, this prompt is your opportunity to tell the Northwestern community about a message, value or cause you are so passionate about that you believe others should be aware of it too. Aim to showcase something unique about yourself or your interests that might not be elsewhere on your application so far, and don’t be afraid to get creative!

Be sure to answer both parts of the question, first describing what you would write on the rock and then offering a compelling reason as to why you would write it!

“FEED THE FUTURE: food drive! 10/15/24, 2 pm, Hinman Hall”

Surrounded by drawings of fruits and vegetables, this announcement would advertise a partnership between Northwestern’s Purple Pantry and local food pantry in a nearby Chicago neighborhood.

Throughout high school, I participated in local activism and volunteer work fighting food insecurity and bringing fresh produce to food deserts in my region. Food insecurity affects those from all walks of life, including students on college campuses across the country.

I hope to continue my work in nutrition activism as a member of the Northwestern community as a future member of the Purple Pantry. I would love to work not only to ensure that those in the Northwestern community have access to the proper quantities of nutritious food, but also to spread awareness about pervading food insecurity. By connecting with others who share my passion, I hope to be a part of a larger network of student activists who will fight for equity on campus and in their hometowns.

Question 2:

This question allows you to creatively present your academic interests while demonstrating your grasp of Northwestern’s interdisciplinary curriculum. Your answer to this question should demonstrate creativity and originality while still being rooted in your core interests and research questions.

EDU 305: Educational Technology and Social Change

The last few decades have seen great strides in educational technologies and their applications in fields such as the digital humanities. I would ideally develop a class that taught the ways in which these technologies can be used outside the classroom—whether in the workplace, nonprofit organizations and foundations, or the public square—to increase equitable access to information. I believe that democratizing knowledge and providing diverse thinkers with unique tools to process and better understand information will be a catalyst for social change. I would love to collaborate with Jennie Magiera, whose TED Talk on educational technology and equity inspired my interest in the topic, and I would hope to fill the class with students who share my passion for forward-thinking solutions toward a more inclusive future.

Question 3:

In asking this question, admissions officers are seeking to envision you as a member of the Northwestern campus community. Where might they find you spending your time? This prompt is very similar to the first prompt, so be sure not to repeat yourself or mention the same communities. This is a great opportunity to write about research opportunities, clubs, study abroad or other opportunities that are of interest to you. While you don’t want to repeat the same opportunities as in the first essay, be sure to choose opportunities that fall in line with the hook you present in the rest of your application!

The sounds of the rhythmic banging on trash cans thunder behind me. I move my body in accordance to the choreography we spent weeks perfecting, perfectly in sync with the dancers to my left and to my right.

This is how I envision spending my free time as a Northwestern student: exploring the sounds of classical, hip-hop and contemporary music along with my peers. Boomshaka appeals to me primarily because it embraces its members’ strengths to experiment with new mediums of expression.

This is a philosophy I hope to bring beyond the dance studio as a member of the Northwestern community, whether as a member of Girl Up at Northwestern, where I hope to find a community of like-minded women who want to further women’s rights initiatives, or MiniChefz, where I can dedicate myself to educating Chicago’s youth about the importance of nutrition and making healthy choices. Though my work advocating for the houseless community allows me to feel comfortable in advocacy roles, I look forward to using my strengths to explore new opportunities in the future, as well as connecting with like-minded individuals who similarly want to enact change in their communities.

Question 4:

You should never use a school’s location as the primary reason as to why you want to attend when answering a “why this school?” type prompt. However, Northwestern is giving you a specific opportunity to tell them why you’re interested in completing your undergraduate studies in Chicago. The best way to answer this question is to research opportunities UChicago uniquely offers because of their geography: perhaps a club or UChicago organization is involved in a specific Chicago neighborhood, or offers an internship or partnership opportunity in collaboration with a Chicago-based business.

X marks the spot.

A large red X, intricately painted as part of a geometric mini-mural on the lakefill rocks, indicated to me that I had found my spot. It was as though with the most literal metaphor the spot was asking me to claim it as my own. Overlooking Lake Michigan, the colorfully painted rock provided a peaceful refuge on campus. During my campus visit to Northwestern, the spot afforded me the time to soak in all of the many joys and anxieties of the college application process, and I could envision myself as a student at Northwestern returning there to ruminate on future milestones. I imagined coming there to read and study on chilly fall days, to get away from the stress of exams and the rigor of classes, or to play spikeball with classmates on an unusually warm spring day.

Question 5:

Though you have likely written about one of your primary identities in the Common App personal statement, this is a great place to write about an aspect of your background or identity that you have not yet addressed elsewhere in your application. You can choose to write about an aspect of your sexuality, religion, or race or ethnicity that informs your viewpoint as a student.

“I’d like to discuss what would happen if we were to propose amendments to the fundamental laws by which they run their society.”

Last spring, my English teacher asked our class to split into groups and write creative pieces about Ursula K. Le Guin’s “Those Who Walk Away from Omelas.” Some of my group members proposed stories about the experience of the single child upon whose misery the utopia relies. Others wanted to write about the fictional characters’ lives in the city, and another proposed writing about a young teenager who chose to walk away.

I, on the other hand, drew on Jewish tradition, and proposed a story about changing Omelas’ laws. Growing up in a Jewish household has taught me to question everything I am taught to believe, and as a result, I often take a macro-level approach to problem solving. My group ended up writing the story of a political revolution, ending in a change in Omelas’ functioning. The collective society would share the emotional load; each experiencing misery for one day. As I continue my educational journey, I hope to carry that skepticism and curiosity that has propelled my learning into this new season of discovery.

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Northwestern University 2023-24 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Regular Decision Deadline: Jan 2

You Have: 

Northwestern University 2023-24 Application Essay Question Explanation

The Requirements: 1 required essay of 300 words or fewer; 2 optional essays of 200 words or fewer

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Why , Community , Diversity , Oddball

We have designed these writing supplements to help us understand your experiences throughout high school and imagine what kind of Northwestern student you may become. The supplemental questions below touch on areas we see as important for building Northwestern’s Class of 2028, but you should feel free to repurpose essays you’ve written for other applications (including the Common/Coalition Application personal essay, which we no longer require) if they tell the story you’d most like to share.

We also know there may be information or qualities not covered in our supplemental questions that you see as important to your application. to that end, we welcome—but by no means expect—your submission of a personal essay or additional information in the common application., the following question is required for all common application and coalition with scoir applicants (optional for questbridge applicants). please respond in 300 words or fewer:, we want to be sure we’re considering your application in the context of your personal experiences: what aspects of your background, your identity, or your school, community, and/or household settings have most shaped how you see yourself engaging in northwestern’s community, be it academically, extracurricularly, culturally, politically, socially, or otherwise.

This is a kind of Why-Community Essay hybrid because admissions wants to (A) know what has shaped you, (B) learn about how you see yourself engaging in Northwestern’s community, and C) hear about the specific ways in which you will get involved (which requires demonstrating fit). This is a lot to accomplish in 300 words, but fear not, you got this! Start by isolating a specific story or anecdote that will offer admissions insight into how you have become the person you are today (remember, you don’t have to cover every aspect of your intricate, complicated, interesting self). Then connect that experience, community, or identity to the vision you have for yourself at Northwestern. If your experience is academic, maybe you want to write about the classes you would take or the research you would like to do. If your community is cultural, perhaps you want to write about the clubs you would join. In the end, you need to describe how you plan to engage in the Northwestern community in a way that draws on your past, so show admissions that you have done your research and you’re ready to dive headfirst into the Northwestern community!

Painting “the rock” is a tradition at northwestern that invites all forms of expression—students promote campus events or extracurricular groups, support social or activist causes, show their wildcat spirit (what we call “purple pride”), celebrate their culture, and more. what would you paint on the rock, and why.

This prompt choice is glorious in its infinite potential. You can choose to elaborate on any of your passions here. Do you want to send a message to your fellow students about the environment? Maybe you want to rally students to join you at a demonstration of some kind. What is important to you? Essays responding to this prompt tend to lean in the direction of activism and community engagement, but don’t feel limited to these angles—anything you want to share with other Northwestern students (and, in this case, admissions) is fair game, as long as you feel strongly about it. And don’t forget to include the recognizable and effective acronym or short phrase you’d paint!

This prompt will likely stand out to you innovators, since it’s asking about something you would make from scratch. Use this opportunity to share your imagination with admissions.  Maybe you’ve been making TikToks reviewing your favorite YA novels for some time now. Would you teach a class on the politics of the modern heroine in YA fiction? Perhaps you have an idea for a new healthtech business. Would you create a start-up? And don’t forget to address the second part of the question: who would you want to collaborate with? The person you choose could be your best friend, a community, or an industry leader you admire. There is no right or wrong answer here, so write about something you daydream about and show them that you know how to think big.

If your answer to Northwestern’s required essay focused on specific organizations, clubs, and student groups you hope to get involved with on campus, it may be best to skip this prompt so as to avoid repeating yourself. If not, this is the perfect place to provide Northwestern with more examples of how you will get involved in their community. Maybe you focused your required essay on the academic community you hope to join as you take your research to the next level and you’d like to write about your vision for finding belonging in queer spaces on campus or making connections with other members of the AAPI community. Just keep in mind that your response should focus on the future while drawing on your past experiences.

This prompt is for all you applicants who are chomping at the bit to study in Evanston, Illinois. The nice thing about being able to focus on geography with this prompt is that you don’t have to have a fully fleshed out plan for your major; instead, you can focus on the experiential and cultural elements that will feed into your education. Why is living in Evanston appealing to you? Your answer should be personal to you and, if possible, unique. Explain what your desire to move from your hometown to Northwestern’s campus says about you. Whether you’re hoping to stay close to your family in Chicago or you’re eager to venture out beyond your one-stoplight town, this is the place to share your excitement.

Admissions wants to know how you will contribute to the diversity of perspectives at Northwestern. What has shaped you as a person and how has that made your perspective unique? What lessons have you learned and applied? Is there anything you can teach your classmates or peers about your hometown, culture, religion, identity, race, or ethnicity that they might not already know? Northwestern wants to know how your personal perspectives, beliefs, and/or lived experiences will affect the conversations you have and the ways in which you engage with the Wildcat community, so tell them a story that helps them to imagine the kind of student you’ll be on campus next fall.

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More and more students each year are applying to Northwestern as one of their top choice schools. So we’re here to give a step by step guide to writing the Northwestern essay prompts, essentially, how to answer "Why Northwestern?"

So basically, they want to know “Why Northwestern.” You might already have a plan for how to write “Why X School” essays, but here’s what we’d do. First off, let’s make a brief list of all the obvious characteristics of Northwestern that could make someone want to go there.

Renowned professors who are experts in their fields

Big 10 Football School & school spirit

Proximity to Chicago, but still located in a safe, quiet suburb

Outstanding drama program

But, it’s crucial to remember that they’re really not asking “Why is Northwestern so great?” but rather “Why would attending Northwestern make you great?” We’ve seen many students come in with essays all about Northwestern’s football games or the location next to Chicago, but the school knows that these are their selling points. And they also know that there are plenty of other schools who have similar attributes. So how do you distinguish your essay from the rest?

For every positive attribute you can think of that Northwestern has, you must also think of how that attribute is in line with your college goals and career ambitions. So for example, if you’re truly passionate about its proximity to Chicago, why? Perhaps you’re a Sociology major looking to study policing in Black neighborhoods and Chicago is the place you can make the most difference through field research. Or maybe you’re an electrical engineer who is looking to intern at Boeing which is headquartered in Chicago. Whatever it is, connect Northwestern’s attribute to your story.

In addition to that, the Northwestern website is going to be your best friend. Look up your major’s department on the Northwestern website. Check out the recent events or speakers they’ve invited and if professors in that department are doing research that you’re particularly interested in. In other words, it’s not enough to say you want to learn from Northwestern’s renowned Math department, you must give examples of how you would engage with that department.

After you’ve drafted an essay, it’s important to have it edited by several people in order to make sure that it’ll appeal to most readers. 7EDU’s expert instructors have helped countless students improve their essays and get into their dream schools, Northwestern included! Give us a call at (408) 216-9109 or schedule a free consultation with us today!

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Northwestern University Supplemental Essays Guide: 2021-2022

Not sure how to approach the Northwestern essay prompt? With tips from a Harvard graduate, CollegeAdvisor.com’s guide to the Northwestern supplemental essays 2021 will show you how to write an engaging Northwestern University supplement essay that will maximize your admissions odds. If you need help crafting your Northwestern supplemental essays, create your free  account  or schedule a no-cost advising consultation by calling (844) 836-8250.

Northwestern  Supplemental Essays — Quick Facts:

• Northwestern has an acceptance rate of 9%— U.S. News  ranks Northwestern as a  most selective  school.
• We recommend answering the Northwestern essay prompt thoughtfully and thoroughly in order to increase your chances of admission.

Does Northwestern have supplemental essays?

Yes! In addition to the personal statement that you’ll write for the  Common App  or  Coalition App , all applicants must respond to  one Northwestern essay prompt . We will discuss this Northwestern supplement essay in detail later in this guide.

Note that students who apply to additional programs within Northwestern—such as Northwestern’s  Integrated Science Program  or  Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences —may be asked to write additional Northwestern supplemental essays. For more information on these programs and their requirements, visit the Northwestern  website . This guide, however, will focus on the primary Northwestern essay prompt required for all applicants.

What are the Northwestern supplemental essays?

The Northwestern essay prompt can be boiled down to one classic question—why Northwestern?

You’ve likely encountered similar prompts during your college process. However, while the Northwestern essay prompt might seem straightforward, that doesn’t make it any less important. Rather, this “Why Northwestern” essay can make or break your application. After all, admissions officers want to admit students who will attend their institutions. Strong Northwestern supplemental essays will demonstrate a genuine engagement with Northwestern and its offerings.

We’ll discuss the full Northwestern essay prompt in more detail later in this guide. Still, as you brainstorm for your Northwestern supplement essay, think about why you want to attend Northwestern. Your Northwestern University supplement essay should cite specific reasons why Northwestern is right for you. Once again, the best responses to the “Why Northwestern” essay will show that students have done their research.

Visit the Northwestern website, take a campus tour, or speak to current students about their experiences. Think about classes you’d like to take, professors who interest you, clubs you would like to join, and more. Strong Northwestern supplemental essays will reveal a deep engagement with the university and its offerings.

Is the Northwestern supplemental essay required?

Yes—all applicants must complete the Northwestern supplement essay to be considered for admission.

However, don’t let the “Why Northwestern” essay scare you. Instead, view the required Northwestern University supplement essay as a chance to introduce yourself to the admissions team. Your readers already know your grades and test scores. A great response to the Northwestern essay prompt can boost your candidate profile and help you stand out in the admissions process.

Remember, the Northwestern supplemental essays 2021 are your opportunity to show demonstrated interest (DI). DI is used by universities like Northwestern to determine how interested a student is in attending their school. Last year, there were over  39,000  applicants to Northwestern. Demonstrated interest, communicated through Northwestern supplemental essays can make the difference between two statistically similar students. The individual who has clearly demonstrated their enthusiasm about Northwestern in their “Why Northwestern” essay, beyond the obvious reasons for attending (prestige, reputation, etc.), is more likely to be admitted. As you approach the “Why Northwestern” essay, think about the fact that 13.7% of colleges said that DI was considerably important in freshman admissions, and another 25.5% said it was  moderately important . Students with authentic, personal, and engaging Northwestern supplemental essays have a higher chance of admission!

How do I write the Northwestern supplemental essay?

So far, we’ve talked about the importance of research, engagement, and authenticity in the Northwestern University supplemental essay.

Completing the additional Northwestern supplemental essays 2021 for the science and social programs? Don’t worry—you can use the breakdown below for the “Why Northwestern” essay to help you craft engaging responses to those Northwestern supplemental essays as well. The science and social programs also ask for demonstrated interest in their prompts—specific reasons that draw you to that program and Northwestern University. The direction that we provide will help you articulate that clearly in all of your Northwestern supplemental essays 2021.

How to Write Northwestern Supplemental Essays — Question 1 (Required)

Now that we’ve discussed some elements of strong Northwestern supplemental essays, let’s break down the Northwestern essay prompt:

While other parts of your application give us a sense of who you are, we are also excited to hear more about how you see yourself engaging with the larger Northwestern community. In 300 words or less, help us understand how you might engage specific resources, opportunities, and/or communities here. We are curious about what these specifics are, as well as how they may enrich your time at Northwestern and beyond. (300-word maximum)

As we’ve discussed, this is a classic “Why Northwestern” essay. However, before we describe strategies for writing your Northwestern supplement essay, let’s focus on the language this Northwestern prompt uses.

Defining the Prompt:

This Northwestern essay prompt centers around engagement. Namely, it asks “how you see yourself engaging with the larger Northwestern community” as well as “how you might engage specific resources, opportunities, and/or communities” at Northwestern. In evaluating the Northwestern supplemental essays 2021, the admissions team wants to identify students who will actively enrich the academic, artistic, cultural, and social communities at Northwestern. Your Northwestern University supplement essay allows you to show what impact you’d make on Northwestern’s campus.

As you brainstorm for your “Why Northwestern” essay, keep this idea of active engagement in mind. Northwestern doesn’t want to admit students who will passively experience campus life without offering their own contributions. Instead, they want students who will be active participants in the spaces they occupy.

Next, notice that the Northwestern supplemental essay asks for “specific resources, opportunities, and/or communities” that interest you. These Northwestern essay prompt categories are intentionally broad and could include clubs, classes, programs, libraries, and many other facets of Northwestern. No part of campus life is off-limits for your Northwestern University supplement essay!

Brainstorming:

We’ve unpacked the Northwestern supplemental essay—now, let’s start brainstorming.

Begin brainstorming for your “Why Northwestern” essay by researching the school. Think about what first attracted you to Northwestern. Was it the region? The campus? The programs? Any of these things could form the basis of your Northwestern University supplement essay.

Make a list of everything about Northwestern that interests you. Feel free to include broader topics—you likely won’t use these broader answers in your Northwestern supplement essay, but they can help you find specific topics that excite you. For instance, if you’re interested in exploring Chicago, write that down. Then, look into specific  clubs  at Northwestern that work within the community. For example, which of the two sentences, better reflects demonstrated interest in a Northwestern supplement essay?

Ex. 1. Since visiting at the age of five, I’ve always wanted to attend school in Chicago.

Ex. 2. I would love to join Northwestern’s Botany and Bees organization. Their work with the Evanston Environmental Association and other organizations in and around Chicago is one of the reasons that I decided to pursue a degree in environmental studies at Northwestern.

The second sentence is obviously a better answer to a “Why Northwestern” essay than the first. An admissions officer reading Northwestern supplemental essays would breeze right through the first applicant’s essay—there are many schools in Chicago—an applicant only looking to attend a school in the area could apply to any other college. The second sentence, however, is quite specific to Northwestern, you wouldn’t be able to miss the applicant’s interest.

Defining “community”:

Northwestern supplemental essays 2021 will answer the question of “how you see yourself engaging with the larger Northwestern community.” Notice how the Northwestern supplement essay emphasizes  community . Unlike some “Why school” essays, the “Why Northwestern” essay explicitly asks you not to think about yourself in isolation. Instead, successful Northwestern supplemental essays 2021 will emphasize how, in specific terms, you hope to relate to the communities—academic, social, extracurricular, or otherwise—that make up Northwestern University.

As you brainstorm your Northwestern supplement essay topics, remember that there are no wrong answers. While you’ll eventually want to reference specific professors, clubs, courses, and opportunities in your Northwestern University supplemental essay, use this brainstorming session to be honest with yourself. Strong Northwestern supplemental essays will come from authentic self-reflection.

Freewriting and reflection exercises

Once you’ve made this list, it’s time to get specific. Begin with a structured free-writing session. What that looks like: identify three of the resources, opportunities, and communities that most appealed to you from your research of Northwestern. Set a timer and write on each subject for 10 minutes, spending a total of 30 minutes writing. Were there any topics you wrote about easily? Any topics that you struggled to write about? Make note of these until you identify your strongest topics.

For more information on reflection exercises and choosing a topic for your supplemental essays, you can read our  blog article .

Let’s look at another example. Say you were interested in studying sustainable energy and were particularly interested in Northwestern’s programs. This already gives you plenty to discuss in your Northwestern supplement essay. However, you could make your Northwestern essay prompt even stronger by including more specific details. You might use your “Why Northwestern” essay to talk about your interest in the Argonne-Northwestern Solar Research Center or your desire to assist certain key professors in their research. Strong Northwestern supplemental essays will show the admissions team that you’ve considered Northwestern’s offerings and that you care about making an impact on their community.

Additionally, the interest you write about should line up with the rest of your application. For instance, if you’ve written your personal statement on poetry and have spent little time engaging with STEM fields academically, it may not be wise to describe an interest in computer science—unless, of course, you can complement that interest with related classes and extracurriculars! Your Northwestern supplement essay should enrich your candidate profile, not muddle it.

Hopefully, after a thorough brainstorming session, you’ve found solid topics for your Northwestern supplement essay. These resources, opportunities, and communities should relate specifically to the Northwestern essay prompt—if you can swap out Northwestern for any other school and the essay works, then you’ll need to go back to the drawing board.

Congratulations—you’ve begun crafting your Northwestern supplement essay! Now, it’s time to start writing.

Northwestern supplemental essays 2021 have a limit of 300 words. This isn’t a lot, so you’ll want to use each word wisely to maximize your essay’s impact. As you start to draft your Northwestern supplement essay, however, try not to get hung up on the word count. Save your stress for revisions—for now, focus on getting words on the page.

You might choose to open your essay with an anecdote. To return to the renewable energy example, you could write about your experience working with an environmental advocacy group. You could then connect that work to your desire to make a change using Northwestern’s resources. This can be an effective way to show your reader where your interests originate and how they’ve made you who you are. You can also discuss how Northwestern’s resources inform your educational and career goals.

Additionally, don’t lose sight of the Northwestern essay prompt’s emphasis on community. As you write, think about how your interests relate to your future professors and peers. Will joining a specific club help you find like-minded people? Do you hope to meet your future research partner in one of Northwestern’s labs? The best Northwestern supplemental essays will reveal a dedication to community as well as an engaging set of individual interests.

Once you’ve written your Northwestern supplement essay, you can start thinking about the word count. Look at each word and ask yourself whether it belongs. While cutting phrases, sentences, and even whole paragraphs might feel discouraging, careful editing will make your writing stronger!

Finally, the best Northwestern supplemental essays will tell a story. In reading your “Why Northwestern” essay, the admissions team should be able to determine what interests you, where these interests come from, and how these interests will inform your place in the Northwestern community.

Northwestern Supplemental Essay Draft Key Questions:

• Does your Northwestern supplement essay draft mention specific resources, organizations, and/or opportunities you hope to pursue at Northwestern?
• Do you emphasize the role community plays in your hopeful future at Northwestern?
• Does your draft authentically reflect your interests?
• Do you show you’ve done your research on Northwestern University and its offerings?
• Does your draft complement the rest of your application?

Is the Northwestern supplemental essay important?

Yes! The Northwestern supplemental essays 2021, like previous years’ essays, have a major impact on admissions.

As a  highly selective  university, Northwestern receives thousands of applications from qualified candidates each year. In fact, their  admissions rate  is falling steadily. What does this mean? More students are applying, but the university’s open seats aren’t increasing. Candidates often have similar grades, test scores, and even extracurricular achievements. This can make it hard for any student to stand out. Don’t let this discourage you from applying. Use every available tool at your disposal, including the “Why Northwestern” essay to make a case for why you should be admitted.

Your Northwestern University supplement essay lets you show the admissions committee what makes you special. Essentially, your Northwestern supplement essay is an introduction and case for admission. Your readers don’t take this lightly, and neither should you!

Remember, the strongest Northwestern supplemental essays 2021 will allow the admissions team to visualize a particular student on Northwestern’s campus. Your Northwestern supplement essay has a lot of power—use it wisely.

Northwestern Supplemental Essays: Final Thoughts

The Northwestern University supplement essay prompt might seem intimidating. However, don’t let this discourage you! As long as you approach your Northwestern supplement essay with consideration and planning, you can write an essay sure to stand out.

In the research phase of answering the Northwestern supplemental essay, make sure to check out our free webinar on Northwestern University. In this 60-minute panel with a Q&A session, two Northwestern alumni discuss their experiences applying to and attending the university.

A well-crafted Northwestern University supplement essay can make a huge difference to the admissions team. Use this guide to help you craft an engaging Northwestern essay that will boost your chances of admission. Finally, don’t forget to revise, edit, and proofread your final Northwestern supplement essay. You might also ask a parent, counselor, advisor, or other trusted adult for a second pair of eyes.

To see examples of essays written by our advisors who were admitted to Northwestern, check out last year’s blog article.

We hope this guide helped you gain a stronger understanding of the Northwestern supplemental essays 2021. Good luck!

This Northwestern supplemental essays guide was written by Abbie Sage, Harvard ’21. For more CollegeAdvisor.com resources on Northwestern, click  here . Want help crafting your Northwestern supplement essay? Visit app.collegeadvisor.com to create your free  account  or  schedule a no-cost advising consultation  by calling (844) 836-8250.

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August 7, 2023

2023-2024 Northwestern University Supplemental Essay Prompts

Northwestern University has released its supplemental essay prompts for the 2023-2024 college admissions cycle. And, unlike over the last several years, Northwestern is asking multiple essay questions of applicants — in addition to The Common Application ‘s Personal Statement. So what are this year’s Northwestern essay prompts ? Let’s dive in!

2023-2024 Northwestern Essay Topics and Questions

Required essay.

The first essay prompt, which is required of all applicants to Northwestern’s Class of 2028, reads as follows:

We want to be sure we’re considering your application in the context of your personal experiences: What aspects of your background, your identity, or your school, community, and/or household settings have most shaped how you see yourself engaging in Northwestern’s community, be it academically, extracurricularly, culturally, politically, socially, or otherwise? 

As, for years, Northwestern asked a “Why College” essay question as its only supplemental essay prompt, it can only be inferred that this year’s required prompt is a direct response to the Supreme Court’s outlawing of Affirmative Action — because the ruling left an opening for colleges to consider a student’s race and background in college admissions essays.

As Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in his majority opinion , “At the same time, as all parties agree, nothing in this opinion should be construed as prohibiting universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise.”

Herein lies that opportunity for Northwestern applicants. And remember, students do not need to be an underrepresented minority to answer this question powerfully. Students, for instance, can focus on something interesting about their family or community in their response.

Optional Essays

In addition to the required essay prompt, Northwestern has posed five optional essay prompts to applicants this year. Applicants are encouraged to answer at least one of the essays and up to two in 200 words or fewer.

Translation: applicants should write two 200-word essays in addition to the aforementioned required essay on the Northwestern supplement because (1) that which is optional in elite college admissions should never be considered optional and (2) it gives applicants more real estate to make their case for admission.

1)  Painting “The Rock” is a tradition at Northwestern that invites all forms of expression—students promote campus events or extracurricular groups, support social or activist causes, show their Wildcat spirit (what we call “Purple Pride”), celebrate their culture, and more. What would you paint on The Rock, and why?

This prompt offers students a chance to pepper in some genuine Northwestern specifics into their application that do not apply to any other university — particularly since Northwestern is no longer asking the typically required “Why Northwestern?” essay prompt. Students should demonstrate, through their singular hook that they hope to contribute to Northwestern (rather than well-roundedness) how they hope to get involved in activities and causes on Northwestern’s campus. So if a student is an environmental activist, how they paint The Rock should reflect that passion.

2)  Northwestern fosters a distinctively interdisciplinary culture. We believe discovery and innovation thrive at the intersection of diverse ideas, perspectives, and academic interests. Within this setting, if you could dream up an undergraduate class, research project, or creative effort (a start-up, a design prototype, a performance, etc.), what would it be? Who might be some ideal classmates or collaborators?

This prompt offers students the chance to create a pithy course name or research project and explain why it would be meaningful to them. It should, of course, be a course or project that’s consistent with the hook the student has demonstrated through their activities and other essays. While students should never tell the same story twice, they should highlight different angles of their interest to showcase how they’re abounding in ideas related to their singular pursuit.

3) Community and belonging matter at Northwestern. Tell us about one or more communities, networks, or student groups you see yourself connecting with on campus.

This prompt is a Why College essay focusing on extracurricular activities and/or communities. As such, applicants should cite specific activities or communities (no more than two) and then include examples of how they hope to be engaged on Northwestern’s campus through the activity or community. Simply writing that an applicant wants to get involved in an activity without highlighting what Northwestern students have been doing through this activity would fail to showcase that a student has done their homework on Northwestern. It’s all about the small specifics. In their response, applicants should aim to teach Northwestern admissions officers stuff they don’t know about their own school.

4)  Northwestern’s location is special: on the shore of Lake Michigan, steps from downtown Evanston, just a few miles from Chicago. What aspects of our location are most compelling to you, and why?

This prompt is also a Why College essay prompt , but this particular prompt focuses on location. As such, students need to cite specifics about how the site of Northwestern — and, no, writing vague sentences about Evanston’s beauty or deep dish Chicago pizza will not suffice — will allow them to pursue their ideally singular interest (rather than well-roundedness). In short, students should showcase, by citing specific examples, how they hope to leave their mark through their hook on Northwestern’s surrounding community.

5)  Northwestern is a place where people with diverse backgrounds from all over the world can study, live, and talk with one another. This range of experiences and viewpoints immeasurably enriches learning. How might your individual background contribute to this diversity of perspectives in Northwestern’s classrooms and around our campus?

As this essay prompt is essentially a different way of saying the same question posed in Northwestern’s required supplemental essay, we would advise students to choose one of the previous four prompts unless they have another story to tell related to their background or community that they didn’t share previously.

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How to Write the Northwestern Supplemental Essay Guide 2022/2023

Just a 30-minute train ride from Chicago, Northwestern University is a private research university situated in Evanston, Illinois. It has a lovely waterfront campus and sparkling city views It is particularly well-known for its journalism, political science, and chemistry programs. With 90 school-based research centres spread across its six undergraduate schools and an additional 50 on the university level, Northwestern is undoubtedly the place for you if you enjoy doing hands-on research.

All things considered, Northwestern is a highly sought-after and competitive college. It’s obvious that prospective Northwestern Wildcats need to stand out in order to be accepted, and acing your supplemental essays are one way to go about it. We’ll go through Northwestern’s suggested supplemental question for all applicants in this blog.

How to answer the Northwestern Supplemental Essay prompt

This is a typical “Why Us?” essay. What about Northwestern appeals to you the most? is what Northwestern wants to know about why you chose this school over the competition, including its academic offerings, campus life, and extracurricular activities—in other words, why it satisfies your requirements and goals.

Every “Why us?” essay must, of course, also address “Why you” (i.e., how you intend to utilise the particular opportunities and resources offered here). In other words, explain why you are the type of student Northwestern is searching for—someone who will make a positive contribution to the university. To put it another way, you need to understand what Northwestern values in a student and what you value in a college, or how Northwestern’s ideals line up with yours.

Here are some guidelines to how you should go about writing this essay:

Do your research Always keep the school’s website open and perform a few more clicks than you anticipate being required. You should give yourself plenty of time because school websites can be confusing. Examine faculty biographies, lists of recent undergraduate projects, related programmes, and any volunteer work carried out by various departments.

In addition, you can subscribe to e-newsletters from many departments, research institutes, or undergraduate schools, as well as find their publications online. This will show you the most current contributions and learnings from Northwestern researchers and staff. This is also an excellent time to cordially write departments and professors to inquire about their opinions of Northwestern programmes or request information from existing students. You’ll get a better perspective from this than looking at the website.

Be very detailed and precise This applies to your interests as well as your long-term objectives. It is insufficient to have an interest in a broad subject, such as “politics” or “journalism.” You must decide precisely which aspects of your area you wish to fully explore.

Instead of “journalism and politics,” you might instead talk about how a specific program will enable you to gain invaluable practical experience directly from Northwestern’s classroom and how this will aid your goal of working in a specific field in the future. This is far more specific and provides a more accurate portrayal of you as a student and future employee. Keep in mind that it’s simpler for them to admit somebody with a detailed plan than someone who has a vague idea of what they want.

Don’t spare extracurricular activities Although the classroom is crucial, Northwestern also wants to know how you will interact with the campus community. Your goal should be to talk about your extracurricular interests just as much as your academic ones because doing so will show your personality traits and capacity for original thought outside of the confines of the textbook and grade transcript. Selecting extracurricular activities that advance your objectives and academic interests is worthwhile.

Lay out your goals. Since the prompt asks you to “make use of specific resources and opportunities,” you need to have some kind of objective or interest in mind. A definite and defined goal also reads better than a generic, hazy purpose (and is simpler to write for). This doesn’t necessarily imply that you need to have a major or a career picked out; you only need to identify a certain area of interest in learning or the method of analysis you wish to use. Many other approaches—philosophy, how you want to interact with others, a community you wish to support, etc.—can help you get more specific.

This essay’s contents should always come back to you and your objectives. If you believe that any student could write what you have written, then your writing is not yet interesting or engaging. The Northwestern resources you pick to discuss are no different. To demonstrate your genuine commitment to Northwestern, you could conduct extra research and choose resources that aren’t offered at other institutions.

Refine and edit your writing Nobody’s first attempt at a project is flawless, and that’s okay! When you revise, you can make sure that your work is well-written and that you’ve answered the prompt fully. Verify your writing for punctuation and grammar mistakes. Having someone else review your work can be beneficial, even though it’s essential to check your own work first. When you examine your own work too closely, you could begin to miss mistakes that someone else might catch.

Refine with Rostrum To get a new perspective on your work, think about working with an admissions consultant; it could make all the difference and increase your chances of being accepted! At Rostrum, expert admissions consultants help you throughout your essay writing process. From your first draft to your final edit, our consultants will guide you every step of the way. Schedule a free consultation today.

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• September 20, 2019

How To Write The Northwestern University Supplemental Essay (2019-2020)

Welcome to the Northwestern supplemental essay for the 2019-2020 application cycle! You’ve got just one question to respond to, and it’s probably the most common supplemental essay question: “Why Us?” Here’s how Northwestern puts it:

Other parts of your application give us a sense of how you might contribute to Northwestern. But we also want to consider how Northwestern will contribute to your interests and goals. Help us understand what aspects of Northwestern appeal most to you, and how you’ll make use of specific resources and opportunities here. (We highly recommend you complete this essay.) (300 words)

First off, everyone has understood that this essay isn’t actually optional, right? Great.

Let’s break down this “Why This College?” prompt.

“Other parts of your application give us a sense of how you might contribute to Northwestern.” Right—your transcript, activities list, and college essay all make a strong case for why you’re an awesome candidate for any great school. BUT!…

“But we also want to consider how Northwestern will contribute to your interests and goals.” In other words: you’re a great applicant who will bring a great deal to whichever school you end up at. But why should that school be Northwestern? Can you make a case for wanting to attend Northwestern beyond the fact that it’s extremely highly ranked and selective, and that you’ll be psyched to be putting it on your resume even ten or twenty years from now?

“Help us understand what aspects of Northwestern appeal most to you, and how you’ll make use of specific resources and opportunities here.” Basically, Northwestern seems to be saying: this one is about us. What’s so great about us? Have you done your homework? Do you have a solid grasp of all the terrific resources and opportunities that we can provide you with?

You need to answer these questions. But, contrary to what Northwestern seems to be saying, this question is not all about them—it’s also very much about you. In fact, if you do some snooping around their website you’ll find this helpful tidbit:

“This question is intentionally open-ended. You may choose one or several aspects of Northwestern to focus your writing, though the majority of the essay’s content should relate to your own interests or experiences.”

So, first: you absolutely need to show Northwestern that you have done your homework, and that you know exactly which resources and opportunities you will take advantage of as a Northwestern student. This means that:

You know what you want to study (make up a major if you’re actually undecided—just choose what makes most sense based on your past experiences);

You can talk about some upper-level classes you’d like to take at Northwestern (in line with your academic direction. Don’t mention anything that’s readily available at other universities—pick something interesting and unusual);

You can mention a few professors you’d be interested in working with (again, who teach in a subject related to your academic path. These should be tenured professors, or at least professors you suspect will be there for the next four years. Not sure how the vicious academic hierarchy works? Ask us );

You have a sense of which extracurricular clubs and organizations you’d like to be a part of (do your research—the clubs you choose to discuss should be a logical extension of your past academic and extracurricular achievements);

You have identified any other academic or extracurricular opportunities that Northwestern and the area will provide you with.

Second: you need to make sure that, as you are answering these questions, you are highlighting your past achievements, and demonstrating how you are uniquely qualified to take advantage of the resources and opportunities available at Northwestern.

As Northwestern says, they already know (from your transcripts, activities list, and college essay) what’s so great about you. And now they want to know why you’re into them. But they also want to know that the reasons for your interest are authentic and personal. So it’s not enough simply to say that you want to take courses a, b, and c, and join clubs x, y, and z. You need to make it personal. Show, briefly, how your plans for your education at Northwestern are based in past experiences and accomplishments. Your past achievements are the best indicators of your future success.

As always, college admission consultants are here to help. Don’t hesitate to reach out .

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Will A.I. Boost Productivity? Companies Sure Hope So.

Economists doubt that artificial intelligence is already visible in productivity data. Big companies, however, talk often about adopting it to improve efficiency.

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By Jordyn Holman and Jeanna Smialek

• April 1, 2024 Updated 12:56 p.m. ET

Wendy’s menu boards. Ben & Jerry’s grocery store freezers. Abercrombie & Fitch’s marketing. Many mainstays of the American customer experience are increasingly powered by artificial intelligence.

The question is whether the technology will actually make companies more efficient.

Rapid productivity improvement is the dream for both companies and economic policymakers. If output per hour holds steady, firms must either sacrifice profits or raise prices to pay for wage increases or investment projects. But when firms figure out how to produce more per working hour, it means that they can maintain or expand profits even as they pay or invest more. Economies experiencing productivity booms can experience rapid wage gains and quick growth without as much risk of rapid inflation.

But many economists and officials seem dubious that A.I. — especially generative A.I., which is still in its infancy — has spread enough to show up in productivity data already.

Jerome H. Powell, the Federal Reserve chair, recently suggested that A.I. “may” have the potential to increase productivity growth, “but probably not in the short run.” John C. Williams, president of the New York Fed, has made similar remarks, specifically citing the work of the Northwestern University economist Robert Gordon.

Mr. Gordon has argued that new technologies in recent years, while important, have probably not been transformative enough to give a lasting lift to productivity growth.

“The enthusiasm about large language models and ChatGPT has gone a bit overboard,” he said in an interview.

The last time productivity really picked up, in the 1990s, computer manufacturing was getting a lot more efficient at the same time that computers themselves were making everything else more efficient — allowing for a sector-spanning productivity increase. Today’s gains may be less broad, he thinks.

Other economists are more optimistic. Erik Brynjolfsson at Stanford University has bet Mr. Gordon $400 that productivity will take off this decade. His optimism is based partly on A.I. He ran an experiment with it at a large call center , where it especially helped less-experienced workers, and has co-founded a company meant to teach firms how to leverage the technology.

Many companies seem to be in Mr. Brynjolfsson’s camp, hopeful that the shiny new tool will revolutionize their workplaces. Companies are using A.I. and generative A.I. for everything from writing marketing emails to helping set prices to answering employees’ human resources and legal questions.

Here are a few areas where companies say that the latest A.I. technology is being used in ways that could influence productivity, pulled from interviews, earnings calls and financial filings.

Got an annoying task? There’s an A.I. for that.

Employees spend a lot of time trying to figure out human resources-related questions. Companies have been investing in generative A.I. to help answer those queries more quickly.

At Walmart , the largest retailer in the United States with 1.6 million workers, the company’s employee app has a section called “My Assistant,” which is backed by generative A.I. The feature uses the technology to quickly answer questions like, “Do I have dental coverage?”, summarize meeting notes and help write job descriptions.

Walmart rolled out the technology to its U.S. corporate work force last year.

The retailer has been clear that the tool is meant to boost productivity. In an interview last year, Donna Morris, Walmart’s chief people officer, said one of the goals was to eliminate some mundane work so employees could focus on tasks that have more impact. It’s expected to be a “huge productivity lift” for the company, she said.

The algorithms want to sell you things.

Tony Spring, Macy’s chief executive, said the department-store chain is experimenting with A.I. to tailor its marketing. The company is using generative A.I. to write elements of emails, and is exploring ways to use the technology to add product descriptions online and to replicate images of outfits or other products for sale over new backgrounds.

“It’s certainly showing up as a tool for some colleagues to reduce workload,” Mr. Spring said in an interview.

Abercrombie & Fitch is using generative A.I. to help design clothes and write descriptions for its website and app. Designers use Midjourney, an A.I. graphics program, to help them generate images as they brainstorm clothing ideas. Workers in Abercrombie’s marketing department also use generative A.I. to help write the blurbs for products’ descriptions. (Employees later edit the copy.)

Samir Desai, Abercrombie & Fitch’s chief digital officer, said the technology helps speed up a laborious process, given that Abercrombie and its brands can post a couple of hundred new products on its website in a single week.

“I think right now it’s a lot of trust and belief that these are productivity enhancers, efficiency boosters,” Mr. Desai said, noting that it was difficult to quantify how much time and money was being saved. “I think we’ll start to see that manifest itself in just how much work certain teams are able to get through versus the prior years.”

A.I. pairs well with burgers and ice cream.

Some companies are hoping to use the latest A.I. technology to help match prices to demand, somewhat like the way that Uber sets prices for cars based on how many people want to ride.

Wendy’s, for instance, has floated the idea of using A.I. to identify slower times of the day and discount the prices of menu items on their digital boards.

The technology could also help with inventory management. Ben & Jerry’s put cameras that use A.I. into the freezers at grocery stores to help alert the company when a location was running low on pints of Cherry Garcia or Chunky Monkey. The camera sporadically captures an image of the freezer shelves and the technology assesses the quantity that’s left, sending alerts to Ben & Jerry’s parent company and its distributors.

“The software identifies what is about to run out and also helps plan the most efficient routes for trucks that can restock the inventory,” Catherine Reynolds, a spokeswoman for Unilever, the parent of Ben & Jerry’s , said in a statement.

The A.I. technology is installed in 8,000 freezers, and the company said it planned to significantly increase that number this year. On average, freezers with the A.I. technology increased sales by 13 percent because they were replenished with fresh pints of ice cream, particularly the most in-demand flavors, Ms. Reynolds said.

A.I. is getting into the weeds.

Deere and Company, the maker of farm equipment, has been using A.I. alongside cameras to improve herbicide sprayers . The equipment recognizes and targets weeds specifically, allowing for more precise use of chemicals. The technology was first introduced in 2022, and the company estimates that it covered 100 million acres and saved 8 million gallons of herbicide last year.

The technology can allow “customers to reduce their herbicide use, lower their costs and minimize impact on their crops and land,” John C. May II, the firm’s chief executive, said at a news conference in February.

Are these game-changing improvements?

Skepticism of A.I.’s potential for major change is based largely on the fact that many of its applications mimic things software can already do: there are clear improvements, but not necessarily game-changing ones.

But while it could take time for companies to fully harness A.I. tools, the fact that the applications are potentially so broad has made some economists optimistic about what the new technologies could mean for productivity growth.

Analysts at Vanguard think that A.I. could be “transformative” to the U.S. economy in the second half of the 2020s, said Joseph Davis, the financial firm’s global chief economist. He said the technology could save workers meaningful time — perhaps 20 percent — in about 80 percent of occupations.

“We’re not seeing it in the data yet,” he said, explaining that he thinks that a recent pickup in productivity has been more of a snapback from a steep drop-off during the pandemic. “The good news is that there’s another wave coming.”

Jordyn Holman is a business reporter for The Times, covering the retail industry and consumer behavior. More about Jordyn Holman

Jeanna Smialek covers the Federal Reserve and the economy for The Times from Washington. More about Jeanna Smialek

Explore Our Coverage of Artificial Intelligence

News  and Analysis

OpenAI unveiled Voice Engine , an A.I. technology that can recreate a person’s voice from a 15-second recording.

Amazon said it had added $2.75 billion to its investment in Anthropic , an A.I. start-up that competes with companies like OpenAI and Google.

Gov. Bill Lee of Tennessee signed a bill  to prevent the use of A.I. to copy a performer’s voice. It is the first such measure in the United States.

French regulators said Google failed to notify news publishers  that it was using their articles to train its A.I. algorithms, part of a wider ruling against the company for its negotiating practices with media outlets.

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Sob stories? Trauma dumps? Black kids worry about writing college essays after affirmative action ban

When the Supreme Court ended affirmative action in higher education, it left the college essay as one of few places where race can play a role in admissions decisions.

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CHICAGO (AP) — When she started writing her college essay, Hillary Amofa told the story she thought admissions offices wanted to hear. About being the daughter of immigrants from Ghana and growing up in a small apartment in Chicago. About hardship and struggle.

Then she deleted it all.

“I would just find myself kind of trauma-dumping,” said the 18-year-old senior at Lincoln Park High School in Chicago. “And I’m just like, this doesn’t really say anything about me as a person.”

When the Supreme Court ended affirmative action in higher education , it left the college essay as one of few places where race can play a role in admissions decisions. For many students of color, instantly more was riding on the already high-stakes writing assignment. Some say they felt pressure to exploit their hardships as they competed for a spot on campus.

Amofa was just starting to think about her essay when the court issued its decision, and it left her with a wave of questions. Could she still write about her race? Could she be penalized for it? She wanted to tell colleges about her heritage but she didn’t want to be defined by it.

In English class, Amofa and her classmates read sample essays that all seemed to focus on some trauma or hardship. It left her with the impression she had to write about her life’s hardest moments to show how far she’d come. But she and some of her classmates wondered if their lives had been hard enough to catch the attention of admissions offices.

“For a lot of students, there’s a feeling of, like, having to go through something so horrible to feel worthy of going to school, which is kind of sad,” said Amofa, the daughter of a hospital technician and an Uber driver.

This year’s senior class is the first in decades to navigate college admissions without affirmative action. The Supreme Court upheld the practice in decisions going back to the 1970s, but this court’s conservative supermajority found it is unconstitutional for colleges to give students extra weight because of their race alone.

Still, the decision left room for race to play an indirect role: Chief Justice John Roberts wrote universities can still consider how an applicant’s life was shaped by their race, “so long as that discussion is concretely tied to a quality of character or unique ability.”

“A benefit to a student who overcame racial discrimination, for example, must be tied to that student’s courage and determination,” he wrote.

Scores of colleges responded with new essay prompts asking about students’ backgrounds. Brown University asked applicants how “an aspect of your growing up has inspired or challenged you.” Rice University asked students how their perspectives were shaped by their “background, experiences, upbringing, and/or racial identity.”

Wondering if schools ‘expect a sob story’

When Darrian Merritt started writing his essay, he knew the stakes were higher than ever because of the court’s decision. His first instinct was to write about events that led to him going to live with his grandmother as a child.

Those were painful memories, but he thought they might play well at schools like Yale, Stanford and Vanderbilt.

“I feel like the admissions committee might expect a sob story or a tragic story,” said Merritt, a senior in Cleveland. “And if you don’t provide that, then maybe they’re not going to feel like you went through enough to deserve having a spot at the university. I wrestled with that a lot.”

He wrote drafts focusing on his childhood, but it never amounted to more than a collection of memories. Eventually he abandoned the idea and aimed for an essay that would stand out for its positivity.

Merritt wrote about a summer camp where he started to feel more comfortable in his own skin. He described embracing his personality and defying his tendency to please others. The essay had humor — it centered on a water gun fight where he had victory in sight but, in a comedic twist, slipped and fell. But the essay also reflects on his feelings of not being “Black enough” and getting made fun of for listening to “white people music.”

“I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to write this for me, and we’re just going to see how it goes,’” he said. “It just felt real, and it felt like an honest story.”

The essay describes a breakthrough as he learned “to take ownership of myself and my future by sharing my true personality with the people I encounter. … I realized that the first chapter of my own story had just been written.”

A ruling prompts pivots on essay topics

Like many students, Max Decker of Portland, Oregon, had drafted a college essay on one topic, only to change direction after the Supreme Court ruling in June.

Decker initially wrote about his love for video games. In a childhood surrounded by constant change, navigating his parents’ divorce, the games he took from place to place on his Nintendo DS were a source of comfort.

But the essay he submitted to colleges focused on the community he found through Word is Bond, a leadership group for young Black men in Portland.

As the only biracial, Jewish kid with divorced parents in a predominantly white, Christian community, Decker wrote he constantly felt like the odd one out. On a trip with Word is Bond to Capitol Hill, he and friends who looked just like him shook hands with lawmakers. The experience, he wrote, changed how he saw himself.

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“It’s because I’m different that I provide something precious to the world, not the other way around,” he wrote.

As a first-generation college student, Decker thought about the subtle ways his peers seemed to know more about navigating the admissions process. They made sure to get into advanced classes at the start of high school, and they knew how to secure glowing letters of recommendation.

If writing about race would give him a slight edge and show admissions officers a fuller picture of his achievements, he wanted to take that small advantage.

His first memory about race, Decker said, was when he went to get a haircut in elementary school and the barber made rude comments about his curly hair. Until recently, the insecurity that moment created led him to keep his hair buzzed short.

Through Word is Bond, Decker said he found a space to explore his identity as a Black man. It was one of the first times he was surrounded by Black peers and saw Black role models. It filled him with a sense of pride in his identity. No more buzzcut.

The pressure to write about race involved a tradeoff with other important things in his life, Decker said. That included his passion for journalism, like the piece he wrote on efforts to revive a once-thriving Black neighborhood in Portland. In the end, he squeezed in 100 characters about his journalism under the application’s activities section.

“My final essay, it felt true to myself. But the difference between that and my other essay was the fact that it wasn’t the truth that I necessarily wanted to share,” said Decker, whose top college choice is Tulane, in New Orleans, because of the region’s diversity. “It felt like I just had to limit the truth I was sharing to what I feel like the world is expecting of me.”

Spelling out the impact of race

Before the Supreme Court ruling, it seemed a given to Imani Laird that colleges would consider the ways that race had touched her life. But now, she felt like she had to spell it out.

As she started her essay, she reflected on how she had faced bias or felt overlooked as a Black student in predominantly white spaces.

There was the year in math class when the teacher kept calling her by the name of another Black student. There were the comments that she’d have an easier time getting into college because she was Black.

“I didn’t have it easier because of my race,” said Laird, a senior at Newton South High School in the Boston suburbs who was accepted at Wellesley and Howard University , and is waiting to hear from several Ivy League colleges. “I had stuff I had to overcome.”

In her final essays, she wrote about her grandfather, who served in the military but was denied access to GI Bill benefits because of his race.

She described how discrimination fueled her ambition to excel and pursue a career in public policy.

“So, I never settled for mediocrity,” she wrote. “Regardless of the subject, my goal in class was not just to participate but to excel. Beyond academics, I wanted to excel while remembering what started this motivation in the first place.”

Will schools lose racial diversity?

Amofa used to think affirmative action was only a factor at schools like Harvard and Yale. After the court’s ruling, she was surprised to find that race was taken into account even at some public universities she was applying to.

Now, without affirmative action, she wondered if mostly white schools will become even whiter.

It’s been on her mind as she chooses between Indiana University and the University of Dayton, both of which have relatively few Black students. When she was one of the only Black students in her grade school, she could fall back on her family and Ghanaian friends at church. At college, she worries about loneliness.

“That’s what I’m nervous about,” she said. “Going and just feeling so isolated, even though I’m constantly around people.”

The first drafts of her essay focused on growing up in a low-income family, sharing a bedroom with her brother and grandmother. But it didn’t tell colleges about who she is now, she said.

Her final essay tells how she came to embrace her natural hair. She wrote about going to a mostly white grade school where classmates made jokes about her afro. When her grandmother sent her back with braids or cornrows, they made fun of those too.

Over time, she ignored their insults and found beauty in the styles worn by women in her life. She now runs a business doing braids and other hairstyles in her neighborhood.

“I stopped seeing myself through the lens of the European traditional beauty standards and started seeing myself through the lens that I created,” Amofa wrote.

“Criticism will persist, but it loses its power when you know there’s a crown on your head!”

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6 Best Paper Writing Services:

• ProWritingCrew 
• EssayMasterz 
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• SkilledEssayWriter
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The sites were ranked by how good the papers were, how helpful the customer service was, and how much they cost. They don't use ChatGPT or any other AI tools to write material, so the papers they give you are original and can't be copied.

Difficulties In Writing

Writer's block: .

Writer's block, arguably the most infamous barrier, can manifest abruptly, devoid of any discernible path or strategy, leaving the author blank-spaced.

Lack of Inspiration: 

Even when ideas flow, writers may need help finding inspiration or motivation to develop their thoughts into coherent writing pieces.

Time Constraints: 

Balancing writing with other responsibilities such as work, school, or family commitments can be challenging, leading to limited time for writing or research.

Perfectionism: 

The pursuit of perfection may induce writerly paralysis, wherein they laboriously revise and edit their work rather than progressing along the writing process.

Organization and Structure:

Determining a coherent framework and systematically arranging ideas can prove challenging, particularly when confronted with intricate subjects or protracted undertakings.

Research Challenges: 

Conducting thorough research and finding credible sources can be time-consuming and overwhelming, particularly for topics that are unfamiliar or require in-depth analysis.

Self-Doubt: 

Doubting one's writing abilities or fearing criticism from others can hinder creativity and confidence, making it difficult to express ideas effectively.

Procrastination: 

Putting off writing tasks until the last minute can result in rushed and subpar work, which can lead to increased stress and lower-quality outcomes.

Editing and Proofreading: 

Polishing and refining written work through editing and proofreading requires attention to detail and a critical eye, which can be challenging for some writers.

Writer's Fatigue: 

Writing for extended periods can be mentally and physically exhausting, decreasing productivity and creativity over time.

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Why I Think They Are the Best:

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Option 3: Community and belonging matter at Northwestern. Tell us about one or more communities, networks, or student groups you see yourself connecting with on campus. Option 4: Northwestern's location is special: on the shore of Lake Michigan, steps from downtown Evanston, just a few miles from Chicago. What aspects of our location are most ...

STEP 2: RESEARCH THE COLLEGE (LEARN ALL ABOUT THEM). Make a copy of the "Why us" Essay Chart 2.0, research the school you're writing your essay for, and fill in the first two columns. (This is the same chart mentioned above.) Once you've done these exercises, you'll have a better sense of: YOU: A bunch of different talents/skills ...

Your "Why Northwestern" essay can be a max of 300 words, making it rather short. (Most college essays are around 500-550 words.) This means that you'll need to be clear and concise in order to get your point across and ultimately be able to craft an effective response.

The changes we've made to our essays are designed to help students focus their responses on areas we consider most important to our holistic review: how their personal experiences have shaped various ways they see themselves engaging at Northwestern, and how their vision for college aligns with the resources and community they'll find here.

Northwestern Essay Example #6. Prompt: Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (100-250 words) Supplemental. I held my breath as my trembling fingers, made for the enter key, my eyes glued to the screen savoring every moment.

This part tells us a few things that you'll need to do. #1: Your essay should be 300 or fewer words. #2: The goal of your essay should be to help your admissions officers understand how you would engage with specific resources, opportunities, and/or communities at Northwestern. #3: All of this means that you'll need to do some research.

It demonstrates the desire to be actively engaged in campus life. Tip #1: Choose a student organization, club, or campus community tied to background, values, or goals not already discussed in other essays. Tip #2: Convey why involvement with this group deeply matters to you and how it would lead to personal growth.

The Why Northwestern essay examples in this guide are both successful at addressing the prompt. Each of the Why Northwestern essay examples will provide you with a good idea of how to structure strong Why Northwestern essays. For more tips on writing Why Northwestern essays, check out our Northwestern supplemental essays guide from 2021.

The essays (including the Common App essay) are viewed as "important" to the Northwestern applicant evaluation process. The other factors that are also considered "important" are: recommendations, extracurricular activities, talent/ability, and character/personal qualities.

For the 2023-2024 application cycle, Northwestern has asked applicants to answer one required prompt with a supplemental essay of 300 words or fewer. Then, students have the option to submit one or two supplemental essays from a list of five prompts. Though the second two supplements are optional, we highly encourage students to take advantage of the opportunity to tell the admissions officers ...

Northwestern University 2023-24 Application Essay Question Explanation. The Requirements: 1 required essay of 300 words or fewer; 2 optional essays of 200 words or fewer Supplemental Essay Type(s): Why, Community, Diversity, Oddball We have designed these writing supplements to help us understand your experiences throughout high school and imagine what kind of Northwestern student you may become.

After you've drafted an essay, it's important to have it edited by several people in order to make sure that it'll appeal to most readers. 7EDU's expert instructors have helped countless students improve their essays and get into their dream schools, Northwestern included! Give us a call at (408) 216-9109 or schedule a free consultation ...

Northwestern Supplemental Essays — Quick Facts: Northwestern has an acceptance rate of 9%— U.S. News ranks Northwestern as a most selective school. We recommend answering the Northwestern essay prompt thoughtfully and thoroughly in order to increase your chances of admission.

An origin story. An origin story is an anecdote about how your academic interests came to be. Your origin story should seamlessly tie into the major that you plan to pursue at Northwestern, which you'll write about next. The mention of an origin story often overwhelms our TKG clients, but trust us when we say that you don't need to have ...

To complete Northwestern's supplemental essay requirements, applicants must write one required supplemental essay (300 words max), and have the option to write up to 2 optional 200 word essays. Their prompts are below and the Northwestern supplemental essay guide that they were sourced from can be found here .

In addition to the required essay prompt, Northwestern has posed five optional essay prompts to applicants this year. Applicants are encouraged to answer at least one of the essays and up to two in 200 words or fewer. Translation: applicants should write two 200-word essays in addition to the aforementioned required essay on the Northwestern ...

For the Northwestern supplemental essay, the prompt typically asks why you have chosen to apply to Northwestern and how you see yourself contributing to their community. ... Writing Quality. Your essay should be well-written and engaging. It should have a clear structure, with an introduction, body, and conclusion. Your ideas should flow ...

How to Write the Northwestern Supplemental Essay Guide 2022/2023. Just a 30-minute train ride from Chicago, Northwestern University is a private research university situated in Evanston, Illinois. It has a lovely waterfront campus and sparkling city views It is particularly well-known for its journalism, political science, and chemistry programs.

Welcome to the Northwestern supplemental essay for the 2019-2020 application cycle! ... You may choose one or several aspects of Northwestern to focus your writing, though the majority of the essay's content should relate to your own interests or experiences." So, first: you absolutely need to show Northwestern that you have done your ...

The prompt starts with the statement that they have some idea about who the candidate is and they want to learn more. Then, the "Why Northwestern" statement starts. They want to know how an applicant will interact with the community and employ the faculties at college to achieve his or her future goals.

To effectively summarize an essay, follow these steps: 1 Read the essay: Fully read the essay to understand its main argument and structure. As you do this, identify the essay's thesis statement and main arguments, which will be featured in your summary. 2 Identify main points: Pinpoint the key points and arguments within the essay.

Check out some of the essays written by our most recent grand-prize winners. To varying degrees, they all display an excellent grasp of the philosophic meaning of Atlas Shrugged. Click here to see the full list of 2022 contest winners. 2022. Jacob Fisher. Graduate Student. Stanford University. Stanford, California.

Jerome H. Powell, the Federal Reserve chair, recently suggested that A.I. "may" have the potential to increase productivity growth, "but probably not in the short run.". John C. Williams ...

Black kids worry about writing college essays after affirmative action ban. When the Supreme Court ended affirmative action in higher education, it left the college essay as one of few places ...

EssayScribez. SkilledEssayWriter. EssayLegend. QualityEssayWriter. Are you searching for essay assistance or a legitimate company that can compose your essay? There are hundreds or even ...

contact us / faq. contact us; advertising; career opportunities; top

You can unlock unlimited credits, unlimited autocomplete, unlimited sources, and more for $14 per month. Conclusions. Overall, EssayGenius and JotBot were the best AI tools I tested. I was ...

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Descriptive English मतलब Bank Whizz

Previous Year Letter Writing Topics asked – IBPS PO 2020

Dear Aspirant, IBPS PO Exam is one of the most prestigious exams in India. Its preparation requires a lot of hard work, perseverance, and a keen insight into its pattern and trends over the years. You need not be an expert in writing skills to fetch better marks in the descriptive English section rather you should practice on a list of most probable topics on essay and letter on a virtual platform which should be similar to that of the actual exam under expert guidance. Also, you should go through previous year’s essays and letters asked to get familiar with the pattern which is going to be asked this year.

Please, don’t take this paper for granted. Throw yourself into preparing for this paper right from now so as to fix one seat for yourself.

Please, mark the following: 1. The Descriptive english will be of 30 minutes duration with 25 marks.  2. This Test will contain questions from Letter Writing & Essay topics.  3. Word limits for Essay writing is 250 words & for Letter Writing is 150 words.

Now, start preparing Essays & Letters with Bankwhizz. You had better prepare on a virtual platform under the guidance of some expert. Bankwhizz provides you with such a platform where you get holistic approach to its preparation.

Bankwhizz has provided following previous year Letter topics which were asked in IBPS PO –

IBPS PO 2019 – Descriptive English  

The descriptive test carried 25 marks. Questions were asked from Letter and Essay. 

Letter Writing Topics (word limit 150 words)

• Write a letter to your bank’s branch manager informing him that your EMI installment of Rs. 3000 has been deducted instead of Rs. 2000. Request him to take the necessary action to rollback the transaction or adjust the amount.
• Write a letter to the Road Transport Authority expressing your concern over usage of high beam LED lights in bikes and cars
• Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper expressing your concern on the state of elderly living alone by themselves. Request the government to take some initiatives to help the senior citizens living alone.

IBPS PO 2018 – Descriptive English

This section was of 25 marks with a time limit of 30 minutes. 

1. Letter Writing (150 words) – Write a letter on any one from the given 5 topics. 

• Write a letter to favorite writer praising his/her recently published book. 
• Write a letter to the Bank Manager to assign a separate counter for a senior citizen. 
• Write a letter to the Municipal Commissioner to bring to the notice the illegal encroachment by hawkers and request to put an end to it. 
• Write a letter to the editor on types of pollution and how to reduce it.
• Write a letter to your neighbor thanking them for their help during a family emergency. 

IBPS PO 2017 – Descriptive English

• English Language (Letter & Essay Writing) for 25 marks, time limit 30 minutes. 
• There were 3 Essays and 3 Letter Writing Topics from which a candidate has to choose:

Letter Writing

• Write a Letter to you friend encouraging and advising him to plan his own start-up
• Letter to your office colleague
• Write a letter to the branch manager requesting him to block your credit card as you’ve lost it and ask him to issue you a new card.

IBPS PO – 2016

No descriptive paper

IBPS PO – 2015

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SBI PO Mains: Essay Writing for Descriptive Section 2023

SBI PO Mains 2023 – The SBI PO descriptive section for 2023 will test you on two aspects only – Essay Writing & Letter writing. Previously P récis , Comprehension, and Paragraph writing were also a part. In today’s article, we will take a closer look at how to approach Essay Writing.

What should an Essay comprise of?

An essay is nothing but a short piece of writing on a particular topic. What sets an essay apart is not just being error-free in terms of grammar and spelling but also the structure and flow of ideas in the essay. A basic but ideal structure to follow is:-

1) Introduction:- This should contain a brief introduction of the topic with an explain the background of the topic. Use this section also to briefly mention your view on the topic before elaborating on that in the body paragraphs.

2) Body Paragraphs:- The body paragraphs (or the middle paragraphs) are used to present one’s point of view on the subject in a detailed manner.  You should restrict the number of paragraphs here to 2 or 3. The purpose of the body is to list in detail the examples that support your view. It is always advised to put forth your strongest argument first followed by the second strongest one and so on.  Each paragraph should contain one idea and sentences supporting it.

3) Conclusion:- The conclusion is the place to restate the main argument/view you made by showing the connections made between the different points in your essay. However, one should not use the same words to do so. The conclusion should also not be a place to introduce any new idea or thought but just a summary of your main argument using some of the strongest evidence supporting it.

 Plan Before You Type:-

Although it may seem like a waste of time, it is important to spend a few minutes to first plan and think about what you are writing instead of immediately writing. If you have 15 minutes for one essay, spending about 5 minutes on planning your essay can save a lot of time on thinking while you type. Most people who don’t plan before writing tend to get stuck in the middle or run out of ideas and are forced to think after writing a portion of the essay. This will hamper the flow and structure of your essay if you try to generate ideas while typing.

Spend a few minutes outlining the points you want to make. Make rough points on the introduction, the stance you are taking along with supporting arguments. Make sure you have your sequence with the strongest arguments first and then the remaining arguments.

DOs and DONTs:-

• Make a time strategy while you practice. For eg: If it’s 15 minutes for one essay, then have 5 -7- 3 plans where you spend 5 minutes planning, 8 minutes typing, and then 2 minutes reading through the final essay to eliminate any grammatical or spelling errors. Make sure you do get the time to read and check for any errors. You can tweak the time-break up and choose one that works for you.
• Stick to the word limit provided. If no word limit is provided, try to limit your essay to around 250-300 words.
• Avoid using colloquial, slang, or SMS ‘lingo’ while you type. No using of “I’m”, “wat”, “thx”,”ASAP”, “gr8” etc. or use of informal language such as ‘veggies’ instead of vegetables, ‘Kids’ instead of Children, ‘Anyways’ instead of Nevertheless etc.
• Use simple language. Even if your vocabulary is very strong, use words and sentences that you believe most of the readers will understand. No extra points are given for using difficult words that very few understand. In fact, it can be detrimental. For eg: “The deleterious effects of smoking…. ” vs ” The harmful effects of smoking… “
• Do NOT use “I think…”, “I feel… ” , “In my opinion” etc. Avoid the use of first-person and second-person pronouns throughout the essay.
• Do NOT make broad generalizations such as “Everyone knows that Narendra Modi is a good Prime Minister”. Instead one could say that “Several people believe that Narendra Modi is a good Prime Minister” and this statement can be supported by the text in the essay.

Sample Topics for practice:

• Consequences of Brexit
• Effect of fake news on social media
• Startup Ecosystem in India
• Cybersecurity and Banking
• India and PISA 2021
• AFSPA: Should it be repealed?
• Australian Bushfire – Climate Change
• India’s exit from RCEP with ASEAN
• Impact of Flipkart takeover by Walmart
• Delhi NCR Pollution: An Unsolved Problem
• Government versus RBI Autonomy
• Workplace safety and work-to-home safety of women is the responsibility of the employer.
• The growing menace of Drug abuse in India
• Automation drives new skill shifts towards ‘more human skills’
• Keeping up with the data eruption
• India’s economic slowdown – Causes and consequences
• Employee engagement over employee experience
• DIGITAL PAYMENTS – Issues and Opportunities in India
• Trade protectionist policies and their impact on India
• Relevance of BRICS in the changing global order
• J&K Becoming a Union Territory
• New Regulatory Regime for Technology Giants
• he merger of SBI with its associates
• Resentment over the 7th Pay Commission
• MPC (Monetary Policy Committee) formation
• Rising NPAs of Indian Banks
• India’s NSG Debacle
• What to expect from the new RBI Governor
• 7% Growth in Indian Economy: Figures and Realities
• Make In India: Where we have reached
• 2 Years of Modi Government: Achievements and Challenges

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